Hey guys! I need to throw one out to you for some feedback. I have a builder that bought a Sharp projector and wants to bury it in a cubby hole in the back of the room.

Problem #1 Cheapo builder did not undetstand when I told HER(problem #1A) that most of the inexpensive projectors have a fixed lens with not much adjustablity. I get the line "hey the picture is too big".

Problem #2 SHE bought the projector from BB not me, because I only offer Marantz with the different lenses at 13K. My stuff to do it right is just WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!!!

Is there a lens adaptor product out there that can shrink the size of the picture to get it down to a reasonable size?

I'll just sit back and laugh at the responses, then print them and take them to her. If there is such a product please enlighten me.

Thanks, RadioRhea

Check with Navitar, a fine supplier of replacement lenses for projectors. They are proud (justifiably) of their products. I don't know if they offer a screw on telephoto lens adaptor; still camera afficianados may recall that there were admittedly cheesy options available instead of buying the correct lens.

I do not know if your Sharp has threading on the front of the lens which, in theory, would allow a supplemental lens to be attached.

Those options aside, there are a number of good value moderate priced projectors with a zoom option. Why not consider that as an option after pricing the band aid?

One company you can try is Navitarm they make lenses to almost any projector.

Thier web site is :

http://presentation.navitar.com/

The projector has some zoom but the cubby hole is 18' back from the screen wall.

What size screen are you using?

Get this......she is putting up some trim and painting the wall.....talk about cheap......I looked at the Navitar stuff and the ScreenStar looks like what she needs. We can reduce the size from 120" to 100" for about 1K. This looks like the cheapest solution.
Thanks for your help. Rhea

Or, she could return the Sharp and buy a projector with a zoom that would look better for the same cash outlay.

Do you know any projectors that will shoot a 100" screen from 18' back?

The Panasonic PTAE900 will. It features a throw ratio of 1.4 to 2.79. Very nice looking projector.

Or, she could move the screen-wall back 6 feet!!! Instant walk-in closet!!!

Sharp used to offer some funky lens adaptors, but I think those were to de-pixelise the picture...

There's also Buhl, but They're money...

I agree to look into a model with a correct throw ratio for the application, or a model with directly interchangable lens options right from the original manufacturer...

I have to ask, who specified the short/medium throw projector on a long throw application??

This kind of thing should not be a surprise at the jobsite, and there is plenty of information from the manufacturer's website, cut sheets, and most vendors' tech lines these days to plan this out well in advance.

BTW, using a long throw lens from Buhl or Navitar will work, but in addition to the steep price tag they require a very precise setup because the original lens has to shoot through a new lens which is mounted to something sturdy which will hold it in a precise position directly in the optical path of the projected image.
If the angles aren't dialed, or if the position is off by even a 1/4" or so, the picture can suffer from uneven light output across the image and/or uneven focus in the edges and corners.

Also, keep in mind that this alignment need to be maintained through every service, lamp change, filter cleaning, etc., so you will have to bring out the test generator or DVDs and double check the alignment of the lenses on each visit. So either prepare for long service calls for any little thing, or for an inconsisten image and a dissapointed client.

Very noteworthy point.

Unfortunately this projector specs shows throw ratio 1.2 - 1.9:1

Holy zombie thread, Batman!