Projector Reviews
Advance projector search

Epson EX5230 Portable Business Projector Review – Summary

Posted on March 30, 2014 By Art Feierman

The Epson EX5230 provides a bright, sharp image with good color accuracy,  in some of the available color modes.  It is easy to set up with its 1.2:1 zoom lens plus vertical and horizontal keystone correction adjustments.  It offers some very bright modes that will allow it to used in a business setting (e.g. conference room) with moderately bright lighting.   Since this is considered a portable projector it will normally be table mounted, but can be ceiling mounted with an optional ceiling mount.  From a weight standpoint traveling with the EX5230 would be no more trouble than carrying a typical laptop PC.

Epson EX5230 7-Pic1

Pros

  • very sharp display with good focus over the entire image
  • only minor color fringing visible on displayed text, even when viewed up close, indicating  good alignment of LCD panels and also good optics with a low level of  chromatic aberration
  • excellent readability of text and presentation graphics limited only by this projector’s 1024 x 768 native resolution
  • excellent scaling from higher resolution inputs down to the native display resolution
  • can display photos or slide shows directly from a USB flash drive
  • high light output (approx. 2400 lumens) possible even in modes with good color accuracy and even brighter modes available with greater than 3000 lumens of light output
  • content from mobile devices can be directly displayed by the EX5230 (requires optional wireless network adapter)
  • has both automatic/manual vertical and manual horizontal keystone correction adjustments for when the projector cannot be positioned at the ideal location relative to the screen.
  • long lamp life with up to 5000 hours in normal mode and 6000 hours in eco mode

Cons

  • remote can be difficult to operate in a dark room, since it has no backlight
  • dust filter that must be maintained
  • a moderately high black level and a modest contrast ratio means that while suitable for viewing typical business presentations, the EX5230 is not the ideal choice for more critical viewing when used in a darkened room with good light control (i.e., such as might be desired for viewing high quality photos or video).
  • moderately high fan noise level when operated in normal mode
  • the uniformity of brightness and color on the unit reviewed was a little below average for this class of projector
  • even though this projector has enough light output for use with larger screen sizes frequently found in a large conference room, the small 2 watt built-in speaker provides only adequate audio for use in smaller size conference room
  • there are no built-in network connectors provided on the projector, thus forcing the purchase of the optional Epson wireless adapter if network support is needed

 

This projector review is included in our 2014-2015 Best Classroom Projectors Report, which is sponsored by Epson America.

Epson EX5230 Portable Business Projector Review – Warranty
Epson PowerLite EX5230 Specs