Projectors With Real Optical Lens Shift

Lens shift moves the image on the screen by moving the optics, with no loss of resolution. Digital keystone does it by throwing pixels away. If the projector cannot sit on the screen's centre line — and in most real rooms it cannot — this is the spec that decides whether the install looks right or looks corrected.

How this list is ordered: Every projector in the catalog with a published optical lens-shift range, ordered by price. 16 of the catalog’s projectors qualify. 2 of them are no longer sold by their makers — BenQ HT2060, BenQ HT4550i — and are listed after the models still on sale, kept for comparison.

1ViewSonic
~$1,300
ViewSonic LX700-4K
3,500 ANSI lumens from a 20,000-hour laser in a 7.3 lb body, with a 1.36x zoom and a short 1.06 minimum throw.
Brightness
3,500lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
95–130 in
Input lag
17 ms
Light source
Laser-phosphor
Check price on Amazon
2Epson
~$1,399
Epson Home Cinema 3800
The long-running 4K PRO-UHD lamp Epson, still on Epson's US price list seven years after launch.
Brightness
3,000lumensISO 21118
Screen at 10 ft
64–104 in
Input lag
21 ms
Light source
Lamp
Check price on Amazon
3Epson
~$1,499
Epson Home Cinema 2350
A three-chip 3LCD lamp projector with Epson's 4K PRO-UHD pixel shifting and Android TV baked in, aimed at a bright family room rather than a blacked-out theater.
Brightness
2,800lumensISO 21118
Screen at 10 ft
63–103 in
Input lag
18 ms
Light source
Lamp
Check price on Amazon
4Optoma
~$1,599
Optoma UHZ55
Optoma's mainstream laser home-theater projector: 3,000 ANSI lumens, a 30,000-hour laser, a 1.3x zoom with a little vertical shift, and 20 W of built-in audio.
Brightness
3,000lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
87–114 in
Input lag
17 ms
Light source
Laser-phosphor
Check price on Amazon
5Epson
~$2,299
Epson Home Cinema 5050UB
The UB stands for Ultra Black: a dynamic iris and Epson's best 3LCD panels aimed squarely at a dark room.
Brightness
2,600lumensISO 21118
Screen at 10 ft
48–102 in
Input lag
23 ms
Light source
Lamp
Check price on Amazon
6BenQ
~$2,799
BenQ X3100i
The gaming version of BenQ's 4LED platform: 4.2 ms at 1080p/240, 8.3 ms at 1080p/120, and three game modes tuned per genre.
Brightness
3,300lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
92–120 in
Input lag
8 ms
Light source
LED
Check price on Amazon
7Valerion
~$3,399
Valerion VisionMaster Max
The brightest ISO-rated lifestyle projector in this catalog at 3,500 ISO lumens, with ±55% motorized vertical lens shift, a 1.67x zoom and a published 5,000:1 native contrast figure..
Brightness
3,500lumensISO 21118
Screen at 10 ft
92–153 in
Input lag
8 ms
Light source
Tri-laser
Check price on Amazon
8Epson
~$5,999
Epson Pro Cinema LS12000
The projector that made 4K/120 gaming normal in a home theater.
Brightness
2,700lumensISO 21118
Screen at 10 ft
48–102 in
Input lag
20 ms
Light source
Laser-phosphor
9Sony
~$5,999
Sony VPL-XW5000ES
Three native 4K SXRD panels driven by the X1 Ultimate processor from Sony's televisions, in the smallest and lightest chassis Sony has ever used for a native 4K projector.
Brightness
2,000lumensISO 21118
Screen at 10 ft
62–100 in
Input lag
21 ms
Light source
Laser-phosphor
Check price on Amazon
10JVC
~$6,999
JVC DLA-NZ500
JVC's least expensive native 4K projector.
Brightness
2,000lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
68–109 in
Light source
Laser-phosphor
Check price on Amazon
11Epson
~$8,499
Epson Home Cinema QB1000
Epson's Q series replaced the LS12000 at the top of the 3LCD line with a multi-array laser, the QZX processor and a new UltraBlack treatment.
Brightness
3,300lumensISO 21118
Screen at 10 ft
48–102 in
Input lag
20 ms
Light source
Laser-phosphor
Check price on Amazon
12JVC
~$9,999
JVC DLA-NZ700
The NZ500 with double the native contrast.
Brightness
2,300lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
68–109 in
Light source
Laser-phosphor
Check price on Amazon
13Sony
~$9,999
Sony BRAVIA Projector 7
Sony's renamed successor to the XW5000ES, and the fix for its two biggest limitations: 4K/120 now works, and input lag drops to 12 ms.
Brightness
2,200lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
62–100 in
Input lag
21 ms
Light source
Laser-phosphor
Check price on Amazon
14JVC
~$18,999
JVC DLA-NZ800
Third-generation native 4K D-ILA with 8K e-shiftX on top: the panels are 4096x2160 and the shift takes the addressed resolution beyond that.
Brightness
2,700lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
50–101 in
Light source
Laser-phosphor
Check price on Amazon
15BenQ
~$1,249
BenQ HT2060No longer sold by BenQ
A 1080p LED projector built around color accuracy rather than pixel count: 98% Rec.709 out of the box, a 20,000-hour LED that never needs a lamp, and just enough vertical lens shift to clear a coffee table.
Brightness
2,300lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
92–120 in
Input lag
33 ms
Light source
LED
16BenQ
~$2,999
BenQ HT4550iNo longer sold by BenQ
BenQ's 4LED flagship: 3,200 ANSI lumens, 100% DCI-P3 coverage, and — unusually for DLP at this price — real horizontal and vertical lens shift.
Brightness
3,200lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
92–120 in
Input lag
18 ms
Light source
LED

Projectors With Real Optical Lens Shift

BenQ HT2060No longer sold by BenQ

BenQ HT4550iNo longer sold by BenQ

Other lists