Canon REALiS SX80

The Canon REALiS SX80 is among the lowest priced LCoS projectors for the business market. Its high SXGA+ resolution and lack of visible pixel structure make it especially suitable for displaying complex graphics, and its excellent color accuracy make it a top choice for displaying photos. Brightness is high -- among the highest of any projector -- but blacks can wash out in the highest brightness mode. Top shelf image processing means that other resolutions can be scaled to Canon REALiS SX80's 1,400 pixels by 1,050 pixels without artifacts. Contrast is unimpressive on paper, but images display with plenty of pop. Audio is poor, according to reviews. At 11.5 pounds, most will think twice about traveling with this projector. While the price is low for LCoS technology, Canon REALiS SX80 can be overkill for many business users. If you're mainly displaying PowerPoint slides and less complicated images, reviews say the Dell 2400MP (*est. $850) is a much better value.

We found two credible reviews for the Canon REALiS SX80. The best is at ProjectorCentral.com, a site that looks at lots of projectors and produces well detailed and highly credible reports. The other is at Sound & Vision Contractor, a trade magazine serving professional A/V installers. While that report doesn't rate or rank the Canon REALiS SX80, it is balanced, detailed and based on testing.