Pen Tablet Recommendations?

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I've heard lots of negative things about Wacom tablets (I never tried one myself, so I can't really tell), like problems with the pressure recognizing and durability.

From where? Wacom is the industry leader. Every artist I know owns one and has for years. The average life on these things is 6-7+ years or more. The studio I worked at had a Wacom tablet at every computer (30+) and never a one of them had issues. Trust me - I have used other tablets, and nothing is as good as a Wacom. The difference is night and day. Try one yourself and you'll never want to go back.

[clua]

Intuos is nice, though I'm not sure if the recent ones give you a leg up on the older models.

I'm still using intuos3. 5 years and still going strong, I've only replaced the cover sheet once and the pen nib twice. (though with how much I draw I should have replaced the nib more, since those are a lot cheaper than the cover sheets)

It's funny and I don't know If It was my imagination, but I used an Intruos 4 for almost a year and some months on the place I used to work,
then I quit and went to another place, where they offered me a cintiq (which I found incredibly annoying) so my friend lend me her intruos 3

For me it was the best tablet I have used, I could draw nicely and smooth.

To be useful to the thread, I own a bamboo pen, which replaced my almost 7 years old genius tablet(4x3 = wrist suicide)
For what I do, I find it very nice and I'm not aiming right now to spend my money on an intruos.(Maybe in the future)

BTW, reputation of Intuos 5 is pretty bad. It just added meaningless functions into intuos 4 to make its price higher, but there's no difference in actual drawing.

Lol I heard that too.

[HumbertTheHorse]

Good thing you gave up on the cintiq before it had a chance to grow on you.
Bamboo is a great affordable tablet. 90% of the big boys, without driver difficulties or requiring a powerhouse. Of course if you pair a Wacom with a slower computer, running robust software, with accurate brush models, none of the Wacom's will be responsive enough.

[LVUER]

You can't compare Cintiq with Intuos. Don't ever say that Cintiq is an upgrade super-expensive version of Intuos because they are so different in the first place. And so the way of using it different too. So people who can do digital art with Intuos are "lucky" because they don't need to pay the super expensive Cintiq while still have way better spec..

Cintiq do use some of the Intuos technology though...

I don't know about Intuos 5, still haven't read or try it yet. I'm not pretty interested though since I'm still going to use my Bamboo for several years to come.

[wulfae]

I've had a wacom graphire tablet, an intuos3, and now a cintiq for work. And I have to say, as annoying as the drivers can sometimes be, they are *amazing*. I would be interested in trying other tablets to see what they're like, but I have to agree with LWR here and say that wacom is most definitely the industry leader. All the studios I've worked in has had at least tablets for every computer.

I'm glad the driver update worked to fix the OPs problem!

Posting because I had to weigh in on what bunnypirates said.

[HumbertTheHorse]

Cintiq is an intuos on a screen. That's all. If they appear to have different specs that is because the Cintiq version release always falls behind the tablet release.

I've owned a few Wacoms over the years. A large Intuos (first, I think) is unusable, not because it stopped working, but an antiquated serial port connection. I abused a bamboo for years and it took the beating. The mouse bit broke open but gluing the metal disc back always brought it to life. The Cintiq I didn't like at first. There is a slight distance of depth between the pad part and the screen. This slight distance feels large for at first. The early drivers, as I said, where not up to the quality of the device. That is a Wacom trend you see if you jump early on their releases. Still, they fix it eventually.

What the cintiq does, which is why I recommend it despite the price, it makes the experience physical. You touch it; it reacts. Everything around you, including the keyboard, becomes annoying. It is just you, the screen, and too few custom buttons. OH, YES! "smokes cigarette" The screen does scar with time but that is the cost getting physical.

As for the tablets, my preference is medium to small. For some reason the tablets inspire the exact opposite in me, I don't want to move my hand to much. Keep focus on the screen. The newest one I have is a medium intuis 4 which is only a nudge up from 3.

Oh, I found the "special" pens severely limited and would not recommend them. For example, the airbrush has a nozzle which can only be accessed by the software you are using. What? Few software support it and Wacom lacks custom hotkey support for their "special" pens.

If the cintiq is within your reach, get it. You don't need it and you will still be able to work without it but who cares about that. If the Cintiq feels a million miles away, think about combining a small bamboo for your dominate hand and Logitech G13 Programmable Gameboard for your other. Hotkeys. You are like me, it is all about the Hotkeys.

back to work.

[wulfae]

The screen does scar with time but that is the cost getting physical.

I would recommend a Nu Shield screen protector. When I bought my cintiq, I didn't use it until the screen protector came. I spent all of that money on something that I have to be able to see through, then I want something to make sure that I can always see through it. I saw a few at work get really beat up, and it made me so sad!

The nu shield protector does change the texture of the screen, but I don't mind. I've had this one for... Over a year now! I've used it pretty heavily daily, and the shield isn't really scratched at all.

I bought a cintiq for my job, because it was required. Also because it was a great excuse to buy one! I love it, it is amazing, and I've never regretted the money. On the other hand... If you're not doing art stuff professionally, a bamboo or an intuos is just as good.

(And with cintiqs... I'd try out both sizes, if you are able to, before committing to the small one. It's not that much more for the big 'un, and I've found it very worth it. Also, the big 24 inch ones just came out, so perhaps the 21UX are cheaper now? I don't really think I'd want one any bigger than my 21UX, that sucker takes up most of my desk as it is!!)

[bunnypirates]

From where? Wacom is the industry leader. Every artist I know owns one and has for years. The average life on these things is 6-7+ years or more. The studio I worked at had a Wacom tablet at every computer (30+) and never a one of them had issues. Trust me - I have used other tablets, and nothing is as good as a Wacom. The difference is night and day. Try one yourself and you'll never want to go back.

I suppose some people just have been extremely unlucky (or violent) with their Wacoms... I wouldn't be surprised. xD

[HumbertTheHorse]

Sorry for bringing this back to life but something about Wacom needs to be said. Wacom may not honor exchanges for single or few colored dead pixels. Not only that but returns are subject to their 16% restock fee. So beware.

Also my Cintiq has become unresponsive at the bottom right hand side. I'd say about 15% of the screen that I had used the most.

Still recommended though.

[Destiny]

I like the old ones anyway much more then the new ones.
Did move heaven and hell to get the last Graphire 4 tablet they had in stock, because I love these tablet line (even though the pens are total trash since that rubber stuff vanishes after a year).
I tried the Bamboo and the Cinteq and they are not really my thing, but when my Graphire dies I will have to decide on one of the new lines .__.
But hey, my last Graphire got 5 years old, so my actual one has still at least 2 years to go :3

And I got only bad experience with some of the exhibition models. But hey, if they are lying in a store for a year and every customer tries it out (especially kids which are not nice to tablets), then it is no wonder if they break after a few month using them in private...

[LVUER]

Sorry for bringing this back to life but something about Wacom needs to be said. Wacom may not honor exchanges for single or few colored dead pixels. Not only that but returns are subject to their 16% restock fee. So beware.

Also my Cintiq has become unresponsive at the bottom right hand side. I'd say about 15% of the screen that I had used the most.

Still recommended though.

Only the most famous/best brand dare to do that. They believe they won't lose costumer even they become a jerk. And that's also why you shouldn't buy it at official Wacom counter/store. Instead, buy at normal store. If something happen, you won't deal with Wacom but rather with the store itself. Some store are kind enough to let you trade your bad wacom without any additional fee. Usually within a week of the transaction.

[HumbertTheHorse]

I always try and buy from Amazon online, or Costco/Sams if they have it, because of the ease of returns. I bought a computer from Costco which went dead two months after I bought it. I simply went to the store ,returned it, and was refunded my money. Still, that dead corner is such a great excuse to "need" the wife that new cintiq. Hell, I'm going to buying it. Could be too broke to do it later. Let you know if I get dead pixels.

[HumbertTheHorse]

The, my, Cintiq 24HD arrived today. I wasn't expecting to fall in love at first sight. Yes, in my youth love came readily but still, even then, not like this. BAM! Thing was delivered on a pallet. Told the shipping guy he could keep it along with a twenty. How free we are with money when in love.

Alright, enough bullshit (bullcrap to my younger brothers and sisters). Right off the bat you can tell where a great deal of the cost went - the base. As a good chuck of units sixty pound weight the base is a thing of beauty. It offers two immediate advantages that 21" did not allow. You can fold the monitor close to the horizontal and slide the keyboard partly under the screen. You can hang the monitor at a diagonal over the edge of your table and work with it partly on your lap.

I'll weigh in on how it stacks up to the other Wacoms once my new computer comes in next Tuesday.