In reply to telemark:
Thanks for your advice.
> The Optoma does look good but the reviews I've seen seem to view it as a home projector. If you're showing material to a medium roomful you'll need something a little more beefy if you want emulate tv performance I think.
At the moment I use a big HD TV at home for showing photos but it just lacks the impact of a bigger screen I used to use for non digital slides. I sometimes do talks/slideshows for clubs and so on and just use the projector provided. I can't stretch to £2000 so I may need to settle for the best quality home projector I can afford
> But a lot depends on the expectations of your audiences, and what you're showing. Simple Powerpoints with solid colours need less performance than a projector for images with delicate cloud colours for example.
It's as much about my own expectations - I just find it unsatisfactory to go to the trouble of taking some decent photos but then have to show people an inferior version!
> The other thing to bear in mind is how much control you have over the environment you're using the projector in. Is it truly dark, or will you have to cope with some daylight? How far away from the screen can you place the projector? (Zoom facilities are surprisingly useful, not just a gimmick.) Do you have control over how high the projector is relative to the screen? (Keystoning and vertical display adjustment are useful facilities - the Optoma doesn't have the vertical display adjustment). As ever the less ideal the environment, the more you'll have to spend!
I've been looking into all these things and the keystoning and a shortish throw would be very useful at home.
> Would recommend a chat with the Projector Point people - my experience is they will suggest things that meet your budget but will also indicate where you may struggle.
I now like the look of the BenQ 2000 which gets rave reviews (including from Projector Point) especially for colour and image quality at the price (about my absolute limit at £800).