I'm looking to buy a wacom tablet soon. I never used one. I've looked on wacom's website and they are pretty pricey :/ I can only afford the Bamboo one. Is this a good one to look into to buy? What do you have? Can I get any discounts?
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Does anyone own a wacom tablet.. or any tablet?
- Thread starter xomissjaye
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I have a Graphire4. I've had it for a little over two years and now I couldn't do without it.
It took a little getting used to - maybe a little longer for me as the first three weeks I was using it with a broken left wrist (my dominant hand) - but seriously, it makes anything I do in Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark much easier.
The Bamboo seems a decent beginner one. I'd skip the Bamboo Fun, though, from what I can see you're taking a fairly big hit on quality with only a small price drop.
And discounts? Shop around. All I can tell ya.
Good luck and enjoy when you get it!
It took a little getting used to - maybe a little longer for me as the first three weeks I was using it with a broken left wrist (my dominant hand) - but seriously, it makes anything I do in Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark much easier.
The Bamboo seems a decent beginner one. I'd skip the Bamboo Fun, though, from what I can see you're taking a fairly big hit on quality with only a small price drop.
And discounts? Shop around. All I can tell ya.
Good luck and enjoy when you get it!
I agree with johnmadden78.
I used a Graphire 3 for many years until it stopped functioning. Work then kindly got me an Intuose 4 which will server me for many years to come.
The time in between was hellish - having to use a mouse! Yuck! hehe
It really does make suck a difference once you're used to it.
There's no problem starting off with a bamboo. You can always upgrade later if you feel you need to.
If you're a student, you may be able to get an educational discount somewhere?
I used a Graphire 3 for many years until it stopped functioning. Work then kindly got me an Intuose 4 which will server me for many years to come.
The time in between was hellish - having to use a mouse! Yuck! hehe
It really does make suck a difference once you're used to it.
There's no problem starting off with a bamboo. You can always upgrade later if you feel you need to.
If you're a student, you may be able to get an educational discount somewhere?
I would have to agree with the above statements. I have been using both the Intuos 3 and the Cintiq's for a couple of years now and love them. They make your lives so much easiser once you get used to them. The one thing that I have learned is the bigger they are the easier I, personally, find them to use.
I would skip the bamboo fun and head straight to the bamboo.
I would skip the bamboo fun and head straight to the bamboo.
I have a Bamboo and I like it a lot. I don't use it exclusively like some folks here do. I've found it's not big enough for using across my multiple monitors. I'm considering an upgrade to an Intuos 4 and will give that a go for full time use if it's wide enough.
If you're a frequent user of the eraser or brush tools (quick mask, painting, etc.) in Photoshop, I find the tablet to be a godsend.
If you're a frequent user of the eraser or brush tools (quick mask, painting, etc.) in Photoshop, I find the tablet to be a godsend.
Wacom Intuos
My wife had the Intuos3 for a long time and liked it. I would definitely suggest the biggest size you can afford. Now she has a Cintiq and it is the real deal. She says it's more intuitive to work on (she does fashion illustration and graphic design with it) and reduces the amount of "undos" that she needs to do. The regular tablets take some getting used to because of the disconnect between your hand and your eye; the Cintiq is much more like working on paper/easel so if you're used to that kind of work it may be the way to go eventually.
My wife had the Intuos3 for a long time and liked it. I would definitely suggest the biggest size you can afford. Now she has a Cintiq and it is the real deal. She says it's more intuitive to work on (she does fashion illustration and graphic design with it) and reduces the amount of "undos" that she needs to do. The regular tablets take some getting used to because of the disconnect between your hand and your eye; the Cintiq is much more like working on paper/easel so if you're used to that kind of work it may be the way to go eventually.
Don't be fooled by all this Wacom-love.
The tablet can be frustrating when you're trying to make minute adjustments, like moving a handle in illustrator by just one pixel. Mouse acceleration really helps us alot with these tiny movements when using a mouse. If you're doing that sort of work on a tablet, the larger the better. That said, I had a 6x11 at my old job, which was match up with 2x17" displays, so it was about a 2:1 size ratio, and that worked great for me. I really miss that setup, and I'm getting on ebay right now to search for a new wide format tab.
If I were you, I'd find somewhere (your college, your workplace...) to use a decent size one for a few hours a day, and then take the plunge and buy one if you like it.
The tablet can be frustrating when you're trying to make minute adjustments, like moving a handle in illustrator by just one pixel. Mouse acceleration really helps us alot with these tiny movements when using a mouse. If you're doing that sort of work on a tablet, the larger the better. That said, I had a 6x11 at my old job, which was match up with 2x17" displays, so it was about a 2:1 size ratio, and that worked great for me. I really miss that setup, and I'm getting on ebay right now to search for a new wide format tab.
If I were you, I'd find somewhere (your college, your workplace...) to use a decent size one for a few hours a day, and then take the plunge and buy one if you like it.
I'm sure some won't take to the Wacom immediately-- much like the Pen Tool, but it's a blessing compared to drawing or erasing complex areas with a mouse.
I find the small ones can be frustrating and rather useless because of the limitation of a small surface to work on. Definitely try one out if you're able to before deciding on a size.
I find the small ones can be frustrating and rather useless because of the limitation of a small surface to work on. Definitely try one out if you're able to before deciding on a size.
You don't have to give up your mouse to use a tablet. I use my mouse for most everyday tasks and turn on my Cintiq for design and some photo stuff. They can both be active at the same time.
Why is their all the fun hate?
"I'd skip the Bamboo Fun, though, from what I can see you're taking a fairly big hit on quality with only a small price drop."
"I would skip the bamboo fun and head straight to the bamboo"
In Canada, the fun is just the normal bamboo, but it comes with a mouse and PSE (one version older than current). I am not saying it is necessarily worth the extra $30 for everybody, but there is absolutely nothing that makes it worse.
Why do people think the bamboo fun is so bad?
"I'd skip the Bamboo Fun, though, from what I can see you're taking a fairly big hit on quality with only a small price drop."
"I would skip the bamboo fun and head straight to the bamboo"
In Canada, the fun is just the normal bamboo, but it comes with a mouse and PSE (one version older than current). I am not saying it is necessarily worth the extra $30 for everybody, but there is absolutely nothing that makes it worse.
Why do people think the bamboo fun is so bad?
Its not supposed to replace your mouse. Its for drawing and painting, almost everyone still has a regular mouse they use for everything else.
6x11" intuos3 here.
i used a 6x9" graphire3 at my old job and i wish i stuck with that form factor. i wind up putting my keyboard over the top half of my intuos so it's not only wasting desk space but i can't get to the extra function buttons or scroll strip. in fact i probably would've been fine with a 4x6 bamboo.
but yeah, tablet all the way. i have my wired mighty mouse next to me whenever i do more mundane things. but i'd rather use the pen all the time. for ergonomic and faster pointer movement. i rarely do much 'painting' in photoshop or illustrator.
one problem i have is the sustainability. i don't know how good wacom is with this now, but when my graphire3 pen broke i had to buy a replacement at officemax.com. wacom didn't have any graphire3 replacements because they were sticking with the graphire wireless. just for insurance and a bit of kleptomania, i have 2 extra pens for my intuos3 tablet. i wonder if it's only a matter of time till wacom no longer supports replacements on that as well. graphire wireless pens did not work on the graphire3 tablet and intuos3 pens didn't work on intuos2 and vice versa. not sure if the new intuos4 uses the same intous3 pen...
nick campbell from digital kitchen recently had a blog post about this same topic - check it out when you have 11 minutes to spare:
http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2009/07/10/pros_and_cons_wacom_tablet/
i used a 6x9" graphire3 at my old job and i wish i stuck with that form factor. i wind up putting my keyboard over the top half of my intuos so it's not only wasting desk space but i can't get to the extra function buttons or scroll strip. in fact i probably would've been fine with a 4x6 bamboo.
but yeah, tablet all the way. i have my wired mighty mouse next to me whenever i do more mundane things. but i'd rather use the pen all the time. for ergonomic and faster pointer movement. i rarely do much 'painting' in photoshop or illustrator.
one problem i have is the sustainability. i don't know how good wacom is with this now, but when my graphire3 pen broke i had to buy a replacement at officemax.com. wacom didn't have any graphire3 replacements because they were sticking with the graphire wireless. just for insurance and a bit of kleptomania, i have 2 extra pens for my intuos3 tablet. i wonder if it's only a matter of time till wacom no longer supports replacements on that as well. graphire wireless pens did not work on the graphire3 tablet and intuos3 pens didn't work on intuos2 and vice versa. not sure if the new intuos4 uses the same intous3 pen...
nick campbell from digital kitchen recently had a blog post about this same topic - check it out when you have 11 minutes to spare:
http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2009/07/10/pros_and_cons_wacom_tablet/
