ISCO lenses are recognised to provide superior quality for optical image conversion without a loss in light or resolution. Because of their quality ISCO lenses are commonly used for professional Cinema applications, as well as Home Cinema.
There are 2 lenses available - ISCO 2 and ISCO 3. The difference between these is that the ISCO 3 is larger, giving it a larger aperture and therefore meaning it suffers less from pincushion (but size significantly increases cost with optics). For superior quality we would always recommend the ISCO 3 lens if the budget allows. This would also provide a longer term investment as optical technology is unlikely to change in the future and the ISCO 3 is more likely to work with future generations of projectors.
When can ISCO 2 be specified?
As the throw ratio decreases, the amount of pincushion increases and we therefore would recommend only using the ISCO 2 on projection systems where the throw ratio is greater than 2.0:1.
The ISCO 2 is considered a budget option and we would recommend that the lens sits in front of the projector permanently (i.e. no motorisation) and the custom aspect ratio options are used to achieve the different aspect ratios. Although achieving a 16:9 picture will result in some scaling artefacts this will not cause a noticeable loss in quality to the picture unless computer graphics are being displayed (when pixel to pixel is recommended with the lens removed) - if this is required we would recommend using the ISCO 3 lens with the motorised system.
Advantages of ISCO 3 lens
This provides a larger aperture thus resulting in less pincushioning. This means that this lens can be used with throw ratios below 2.0:1 and should always be specified with the Sim2 C3X short throw (T1). We do however recommend always using the longest throw possible to minimise the amount of pincushioning.
A motorised option will soon be available for the ISCO 3.