Lumens aint necessarily Lumens!

So, you’re wanting to buy a mini projector? What’s the most important thing to consider?
Well the brightness of course, measured in Lumens, or in layman’s terms, the number of light particles hitting the viewing surface. The more Lumens, the better the image reproduction. Right?
Well..... correct if the number of Lumens claimed is real or ANSI Lumens, not “marketing department Lumens”. It’s amazing how an extra zero on the Lumens claim can influence the buyer, often an “error” by the marketing department. Or a claim that 20 Lumens looks just like 120 Lumens. It usually does – in pitch black conditions where there is no light dissipation. Think cinemas!

ANSI Lumens is the benchmark, measured to a set of standards set by the American National Standards Institute with strict conditions. Manufacturers cannot use the term ANSI Lumens if they have not certified their projector to ANSI standards.
Most major brand manufacturers publish the Lumens and are generally spot-on but beware buying online with no-one to question, you may be disappointed as Lumen claims can be 5-10 times what the projector will actually produce in ANSI Lumens. Problem is that most users don’t have the equipment to measure the Lumens and usually only find out when the conditions aren’t ideal.
Alternatively, a mini projector may be marketed with no mention of Lumens, just “amazing” brightness, usually an indication of low lumens in a nice package.
And don’t be swayed by those colourful pictures of a huge screen from a tiny little box surrounded by lots of happy smiling people. Most of us can cut & paste to some degree these days.
Image size from mini LED projectors is almost always dependent on the distance of the projector from the viewing surface, the further away, the larger the image, the closer you are, the smaller the image. Unless you are in pitch black conditions, the further you move away, the more light is dissipated, and this is where an under-powered or over-stated projector will potentially leave you disappointed.
If you’re happy with an image size of around 30”, enough for a small group of 2-5 viewers, a projector offering 60-100 Lumens will probably be sufficient, again depending on your ability to control the ambient light.
For a group of 10-15 people, you will need to consider 200-300 Lumens.
For a professional presentation to a larger group with a screen size of 80” and up, you should be starting at around 500 Lumens, that’s ANSI Lumens!
The last thing you want to be doing is spending all your time apologising for the quality of the image rather than making your point.
For more information or advice about choosing the right mini projector for your needs, visit www.miniprojector.com.au or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Get Focused!