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. 17 of the catalog’s projectors qualify.

1BenQ
~$1,249
BenQ HT2060
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
2ViewSonic
~$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
3Epson
~$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
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
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
6Anker Nebula
~$2,749
Anker Nebula X1
Anker's attempt at a flagship: 3,500 ANSI lumens of RGB tri-laser, a 1.67x optical zoom, a motorized gimbal that aims and aligns itself, and detachable wireless satellite speakers.
Brightness
3,500lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
92–153 in
Light source
Tri-laser
7BenQ
~$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
8BenQ
~$2,999
BenQ HT4550i
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
9Valerion
~$2,999
Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2
An RGB tri-laser projector that behaves like a home-theater model: motorized lens shift, a 1.67x optical zoom, Dolby Vision, and 15 ms input lag at 4K/60.
Brightness
3,000lumensISO 21118
Screen at 10 ft
92–153 in
Input lag
8 ms
Light source
Tri-laser
10Valerion
~$3,399
Valerion VisionMaster Max
The brightest ISO-rated 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 — the only tri-laser projector here that publishes native contrast at all..
Brightness
3,500lumensISO 21118
Screen at 10 ft
92–153 in
Input lag
8 ms
Light source
Tri-laser
11Epson
~$4,999
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
12JVC
~$5,999
JVC DLA-NZ500
The cheapest way into a genuinely native 4K imaging device.
Brightness
2,000lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
68–109 in
Light source
Laser-phosphor
13Sony
~$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
14Epson
~$7,999
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
15JVC
~$8,999
JVC DLA-NZ700
The NZ500 with double the native contrast and a motorized lens.
Brightness
2,300lumensANSI
Screen at 10 ft
68–109 in
Light source
Laser-phosphor
16Sony
~$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
12 ms
Light source
Laser-phosphor
17JVC
~$16,999
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

Projectors With Real Optical Lens Shift

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