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  • Which pen tablet should I get?

    #1
    I'm thinking about asking for a pen tablet for Christmas, but I don't know much about them, so I don't know what kind to get. I looked at the Art of Wacom thread here and that made me want one even more! I've done research and read reviews and I'm mainly trying to decide between the Wacom Bamboo (Create?) and Intuos4. The Intuos apparently has more features and, what interests me most, tilt sensitivity, but it costs a lot more. Even though it's a gift, I don't want my dad to pay more than necessary.

    So, what do you guys who use tablets think? Is the Intuos worth the extra buck? I'm kind of leaning toward that one. I'm just a student (and therefore don't really know what I'm doing, ha) so I kind of doubt I'll be using a lot of the extra features, but it sounds like it's the best for drawing, which is what I want to use it for.

    What about size? Is the small one enough?
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  • #2
    The big question is how much would you use it and do you need it to be intricate enough to justify the extra cost.

    I bought a low end Wacom when I first got started (there's a bit of a learning curve with graphic tablets) and I found it wasn't big enough, so I upgraded to the intuos3. I do a lot of illustration with it, and am using to to put a book together.

    Would your drawings benefit from the extra accuracy (remember you can always zoom in to get greater accuracy anyway) and do you need the tilt function? Would you find the size of a bamboo limited? I like to a large area to sketch in but you can achieve similar results by zooming in and working on a small area.

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    • #3
      http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/fo...ad.php?t=63679

      The question becomes, eventually, how big is your monitor? I used a Bamboo for a long time with my 20in monitor and I still love it with my 13in Macbook. But, now I have attached my 20in monitor to a 27in iMac....I cannot get the precision I want. It is just too small. Certainly, I can zoom in, but...why?? I have a monitor that can run at 2500 x1440. I use every ounce of that space, plus the 20 in monitor to boot.

      What I am suggesting is that you look at your situation and figure it out from there. If you have a 20in monitor, you should be fine with a Bamboo to begin with. Once you have mastered that, then look at something else.

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      • #4
        Thanks guys. I have a Macbook Pro with a 15" screen.

        I don't really know how much I would use a tablet. I like to think I would use it a lot but that was part of why I wanted to get opinions from others who have them and see how much you use yours.

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        • #5
          A Macbook with a Bamboo would be perfect to start out with. That screen is big enough to get used to how it works, etc. and the Bamboo is still in expensive enough for a reasonable test.

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          • #6
            I recommend having a look at the inkling as well

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            • #7
              The inkling won't do what a professional needs to do with a tablet.

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              • #8
                The Wacom Bamboo is perfect for a beginner.

                I've been working in design for 10 years and I'm still happy with my Bamboo. Mind you, I've never playted with the Intuos so can't really compare. All I know though, is that I'm happy with the Bamboo for what I use it for.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Cosmo View Post
                  The inkling won't do what a professional needs to do with a tablet.
                  I didn't say it would. Was just recommending to look into it. If they're looking for a good way to digitise their sketches then it's perfect or could be a good companion with the tablet.
                  Last edited by Pinky; 11-29-2011, 09:58 PM.

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                  • #10
                    So it doesn't bother you that the Bamboo doesn't have the tilt sensitivity? It seems like a lot of people are pretty happy with it.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Pinky View Post
                      If they're looking for a good way to digitise their sketches then it's perfect or could be a good companion with the tablet.
                      Yeah, it would be a companion. I was looking at buying an Inkling, but then I had some more important things to spend my money on. I'd still like one eventually.

                      But I don't use my tablet to digitise my sketches. I use it to touch up photography. Inkling is only good if you are naturally a gifted freehand illustrator and would like to be able to digitise without having to use the pentool.

                      Originally posted by Owlett View Post
                      So it doesn't bother you that the Bamboo doesn't have the tilt sensitivity? It seems like a lot of people are pretty happy with it.
                      Not at all. How often do you need to tilt a regular pen?

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                      • #12
                        I just thought that maybe with that feature, the Intuos would replicate traditional media better. But it's probably not a big deal.

                        I'll probably be using it for mostly drawing. I don't do any photo editing. I'm always amazed by the digital paintings people do and I thought maybe... just maybe... I could try. Ha ha. I would definitely use it to digitize sketches a lot.

                        The Inkling looks really neat! Maybe something to look into later...? But I think I want a tablet for now.

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                        • #13
                          Yeah you definitely need a tablet to benefit from the inkling. The tilt sensitivity shouldn't be an issue. I'd imagine you change the tilt rarely when you draw

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                          • #14
                            The Bamboo has a bigger working area than the small Intuos too, doesn't it? I wish Amazon gave the dimensions of the actual working area.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              http://wacom.com/

                              You can look into all of the products ove there. You can click on the different ones and see what the "active area" is.

                              Amazon is good for buying, but I always go back to the source for info.

                              Update:

                              Bamboo Connect: 5.8" x 3.6"
                              Bamboo Capture: 5.8" x 3.6"
                              Bamboo Create: 8.5" x 5.4"

                              Intuos:

                              Small: 6.2"x 3.9"
                              Medium: 8.8" x 5.5"
                              Large: 12.8" x 8.0"
                              Extra Large: 18.2" x 12.0"
                              Wireless: 8.0" x 5.0"

                              There are all of your sizes.
                              Last edited by darkwolf29a; 11-30-2011, 07:24 PM. Reason: Checked the sizes

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