The Quick Verdict
Get the BenQ AK700ST 4K Short Throw Laser Golf Simulator Projector. It's the short-throw one of the pair, so it mounts much closer to the screen. It lists square 1:1 among its stated screen modes, it has a golf mode, BenQ publishes its input lag, and it lists at $2,200 less. The Panasonic PT-VMZ51 earns a look only where the projector has to hang a long way back from the screen. Even there, it has no golf mode, and 1:1 isn't among its stated modes. Check price at The Indoor Golf Shop →
What They Have in Common
Both run a laser light source rated by its maker for 20,000 hours. Both list 4:3 among their stated screen shapes. Both have optical zoom and both horizontal and vertical keystone. Both carry a three-year warranty, though the wording differs. Neither has a successor listed.
Where They Differ
Throw and image size
Image width is throw distance divided by throw ratio. The BenQ's throw ratio is 0.69–0.83:1, so from 10 ft back it puts up an image 12.0 ft to 14.5 ft wide. The Panasonic's is 1.09–1.77:1, which gives 5.6 ft to 9.2 ft wide from the same 10 ft.
For a 10 ft wide image, the BenQ sits 6.9 ft–8.3 ft from the screen. The Panasonic sits 10.9 ft–17.7 ft from it.
The Panasonic mounts further back than the short-throw BenQ, and it needs a deeper room. That's the whole matchup in one line. A throw ratio under 1 is the difference between hanging the projector near the hitting area and hanging it well behind the golfer. Measure from where the lens would sit to the screen before anything else.
The Panasonic does get a much longer span of mounting distances from its 1.6 optical zoom. It also has manual lens shift, rated vertical +44%, 0% and horizontal ±20%, which gives it mounting slack. The BenQ has a 1.2 zoom and no lens shift. Its keystone covers vertical, horizontal and rotation at ±30 degrees each. The Panasonic's keystone is vertical ±25° and horizontal ±35°.
Screen shape and golf mode
Square 1:1 is among BenQ's stated modes, along with 16:9, 16:10 and 4:3. Panasonic states 16:9 and 4:3. That doesn't mean it can't fill a square screen. Panasonic just doesn't list it. The BenQ has a golf mode. The Panasonic has none.
Brightness and lag
BenQ lists 4,000 lumens and doesn't state the measurement standard. Panasonic lists 5,200 ANSI lumens. Those don't measure the same thing, so I'm not putting a gap between them.
The BenQ's input lag is 33.4 ms at 1080p 60Hz. Panasonic doesn't publish an input-lag figure for this model, so there's nothing to set it against.
Resolution, size, price
The BenQ is 3840x2160, 4K UHD by pixel-shift. The Panasonic is 1920x1200 (WUXGA). The BenQ weighs 7.48 lbs and measures 11.94 x 4.43 x 9.23 in. The Panasonic weighs 14.33 lbs and measures 15.71 W x 4.53 H x 13.70 D in. That makes the BenQ 6.85 lbs lighter.
BenQ's warranty reads "3 years parts and labor from purchase date (original retail purchaser), US." Panasonic's reads "3 years." The BenQ is a 2025 model and the Panasonic a 2022 model. They list at $2,899 and $5,099.
Who Should Buy Which
Get the BenQ AK700ST 4K Short Throw Laser Golf Simulator Projector if:
- The projector has to sit close to the screen. Image width is throw distance divided by throw ratio, so a 10 ft wide image puts it 6.9 ft–8.3 ft back.
- Your impact screen is square and you want 1:1 among the maker's stated modes.
- You want a golf mode and a published input-lag figure (33.4 ms at 1080p 60Hz).
- A lighter unit matters for the mount: 7.48 lbs against 14.33 lbs.
- You'd rather keep the $2,200 gap at list.
Get the Panasonic PT-VMZ51 if:
- The projector has to mount far back. Using the same formula, a 10 ft wide image puts it 10.9 ft–17.7 ft from the screen.
- You want manual lens shift and the wider 1.6 zoom for mounting slack.
- Your screen is 4:3 or 16:9, and you're fine without a golf mode.
The Bottom Line
The BenQ AK700ST mounts close, states 1:1 and 4:3, has a golf mode and a published lag figure. It's 6.85 lbs lighter and lists at $2,899 against $5,099. Call it a hunch, but the Panasonic's one real argument is mounting distance, and that's an argument about the room more than the projector. If the lens has to sit 10.9 ft or more from the screen, look at the Panasonic. Otherwise, it's not close.