Canon LV-7297M

Canon LV-7297M

The Canon LV-7297M data projector is a step up in brightness from the Canon LV-7292M that I recently reviewed but is otherwise very similar, providing a basic feature set, adequate data and fairly good video image quality, in a portable data projector. It's a reasonable choice for use in classrooms or small conference rooms. The LCD-based LV-7297M is rated at 2,600 lumens, a little low by today's standards (3,000 is more typical), but higher than the LV-7292M's rating of 2,200 lumens. As perception of brightness is measured logarithmically, the apparent difference in brightness is even less than the ratings would indicate. (It takes a lot more than doubling the rated brightness for a projector to appear twice as bright.) As is the case with the Canon LV-7292M, the LV-7297M's 500:1 contrast ratio is unusually low for a projector these days. The silver-and-gray LV-7297M measures 3.9 by 13.0 by 9.6 inches and weighs 6.5 pounds. That makes it reasonably portable, though it doesn't ship with a carrying case—Canon sells one for $60 direct. Behind the lens are the (reasonably responsive) focus wheel, and a zoom wheel with a 1.2x zoom.