Epson VS350W Projector - Performance
10-24-2011 - Mike Rollet
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Epson VS350W Projector - Brightness
The VS350W is rated at 3700 lumens. This is extremely bright for a single lamp projector, much less one in the VS350W's price range. While we did not achieve that rating in our measurements, we did manage to measure 3209 lumens in Dynamic mode (the brightest) at full wide zoom. This output did vary quite a bit over the full zoom range. We measured 2966 lumens at mid zoom and 2631 lumens at full telephoto zoom. This performance was consistent with other recently reviewed Epson projectors. Epson's measured versus claimed lumen output is equal to or better than most of the competition. Consistent with our other reviews, all other measurements were made at mid zoom. Using Presentation mode (which would be our preferred mode to achieve the best combination of brightness and color), the output dropped to 2470 lumens, still bright enough for all but the least light-controlled venues. Photo mode and sRGB modes (which were also similar in appearance), came in at 2212 lumens. Other modes measured as follows: Theater – 2150 lumens, Blackboard – 1757 lumens and Whiteboard – 2336 lumens. As was the case with previous Epson models, the decent color accuracy in Dynamic mode makes it a more usable mode than it is with some of the competition, thus expanding both the size of room and degree of ambient light that the VS350W can handle.
Dropping the lamp into Eco brightness mode resulted in less than a 17% drop in lumen output, corresponding to a measurement of 2336 lumens in Dynamic mode, which is still very bright.
Epson VS350W Projector - Audible Noise
Due to its high brightness, the Epson Powerlite VS350W is fairly noisy (39dB in Normal lamp mode) for a multimedia projector in this class. Still, there would be no problem with the presenter being heard in a classroom or conference room. If a quieter environment is desired, dropping the VS350W into Eco lamp mode only reduces the noise level to 35 dB, the level of most multimedia projectors in their higher lamp mode. Still, with only a 17% drop in lumen output, putting the VS350W in Eco mode reduces the noise level noticeably and there are still plenty of lumens for most uses. The VS350W's built-in 5-watt speaker can overcome this lower noise level in any room size that the VS350W is likely to be used.
NEXT: Epson VS350W warranty