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Choosing a graphics tablet

OmnutiaOmnutia
edited August 2008 in Art!
I am thinking of getting an interim tablet to last me until I get a new computer. The reason I'm not getting one to last me longer is that my current laptop is standard screen whereas the computer I plan on getting will be a wide screen.
The tablet I am planning on getting is an A6 Wacom Bamboo One (just the simple plain black one) which is ~£50 and about the length of a pencil from corner to corner.

Questions:
1) Having used an A5 and A3 tablet (A3 is way too big) has anyone used one of this size before? Any trouble with how small it is?
2) Can I swap my mouse for a tablet for everyday use?
3) Is there any way to use a non-widescreen tablet on a widescreen screen?

Comments

  • FunfetusFunfetus
    I'm tempted to tell you to avoid anything but an Intuos or Cintiq, but since this is just temporary, I'll let it slide. I haven't used the Bamboo anyway, so I don't know how bad it is. Are you using this for art?

    1) That size should be fine, but I guess it's a personal preference. I have both the Intuos A4 and the A6, and while I prefer the A4, the A6 is fine. I actually only upgraded because I wanted the buttons on the right side (I'm left-handed) and the A6 only has the buttons on the left side. Of course, I don't use the buttons anyway. But yeah -- the small one is fine.
    2) Definitely -- I did this for a long time, until I got sick of picking up and putting down the pen every time I wanted to type. Using a tablet instead of a mouse is actually better, in my opinion, except for the aforementioned annoyance.
    3) You can, but it's a compromise. You can set it to either stretch it out, so your strokes get a little distorted (but it's really not too bad), or "cut off" a strip along the top of the active area, leaving you with a smaller, but widescreen, active area.
  • ......
    Other than being able to say you need to get a Wacom, I have no other advice. And trust me on this one, my little brother has had a few tablets, all non-Wacoms, and they all were horrible.
  • DkongDkong
    What's the biggest difference(s) between the bamboo and intuos?

    So far, between the bamboo (non fun version) and intuos 4x6, the only differences I see are the intuos has a mouse and more pressure sensitivity, and it's also $150 more. I just don't see where that $150 is going.
  • FunfetusFunfetus
    edited August 2008
    the only differences I see are the intuos has a mouse and more pressure sensitivity
    That, and resolution. If you're drawing, that makes a huge difference. With the Intuos, you're also getting a much higher-quality tablet surface, which makes a big difference in drawing feel and control. The Intuos3 pen also has tilt and rotation sensitivity. And you can have different settings for different programs. The tablet comparison on the Wacom site only tells part of the story. Probably because they don't want to make the Bamboo look too bad. :) There's a reason they market the Intuos3 as a professional artists's tool, and the Bamboo for "jotting notes".
    Post edited by Funfetus on
  • KieyKiey
    The thing with tablets is that it can be tricky to use them if you aren't used to not looking at your hand when drawing. I personally can't not look at my hand, so I got a tablet laptop so I could write on the screen. I'm probably going to get the low end Cintiq soon to replace it, seeing as I'll be selling my laptop soonish.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited August 2008
    I had a cheap A5 tablet a while ago and I'm well used to the feeling. I'm probably going to have to wait a few months before I replace my PC so I think the Bamboo is probably the better choice.
    FYI: Lefty.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • FunfetusFunfetus
    The thing with tablets is that it can be tricky to use them if you aren't used to not looking at your hand when drawing
    Have you spent much time with a regular tablet? It's definitely awkward at first, but after a week or so, you really get used to it. It's second nature to me now. I actually almost prefer it, because I don't have to hunch over a drawing board. That said, I got to try out some Cintiqs at Comic-Con this year, and they're pretty sweet.
  • KieyKiey
    Yeah, I had a 4x5 (I think) Wacom a few years back, and I couldn't really get used to it at all. Then I tried a tablet laptop and fell in love with it.
  • MrRobotoMrRoboto
    All I can say is, keep your mouse handy, unless you want to start buying replacement nibs for your pen every month or so. All the wacom brand tablets I've used have been good, some are indeed better than others, and the extra pressure is indeed noticeable. Just get something on your budget then upgrade later on if you feel like yo need to. It also helps to try one out before you buy it, if you have a friend with a similar model perhaps.

    As for question 3, as someone stated, you can limit the "active" area of the tablet to fit a wide screen inside but of course loose quite a bit of tablet real estate.
  • MamathMamath
    I might pipe up and say you can probably get one of the discontinued Graphires off of Ebay without too much trouble for roughly the same price as a Bamboo. I've been using a Graphire for years and it does everything I want (digital art), though no doubt the Intuos IS a better tablet. I am just poor. Graphire > Bamboo.

    Regards to the size of the tablet... It really depends on the resolution of your screen. A 1:1 ratio with the tablet is ideal for most people.
  • FunfetusFunfetus
    Oh -- and if you've still got a serial port, I've got a 6"x8" Intuos 1 I'll sell you for, say, 20 bucks. :)
  • CHOIS CHOIS CHOISCHOIS CHOIS CHOIS
    I have a Intuos 3, 6"x8" tablet for the USB and I love it! It is one of the best pads I've owned. It's not too big and not too small, it's a nice size that can fit in you lap and you can draw for hours. I was lucky enough to get to get one as a gift from my Aunt who is a commercial producer and one of the design companies she worked with at the time, had a spare pad that they got from WACOM. She is also the reason why I got a 4th gen iPod (color, click-wheel), because Macy's used it in a photo shoot, which involved opening it, so they just gave it to her; So I ended up with it.

    Probably the best one to get these days are the tablet monitors. Sure they're expensive as hell, but after using one a lot this summer at a summer camp at the local college, UW-Milwaukee, their the best I've used. If this is your first pad, just get a Intuos. But In the future if you want to upgrade, try the tablet monitor.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited August 2008
    I got my Bamboo today and it feels so nice, very well thought out as well. Trying to get the scroll wheel to scroll down pages in Firefox ATM.
    My seven port USB hub is now running out of ports.. Time to try making that USB array I've always wanted to.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited August 2008
    Uberwank.. For some reason Gimp lags something horrible when using a tablet. Anyone run into this before?
    Edit: Completely randomly, the lag has disappeared.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • AprecheApreche
    I just watched this terrific video about how to use Photoshop to improve photos. What really surprised me was that the guy is such a huge fan of using a Wacom tablet even though he's not drawing. Then I saw how he was using all the brush-like tools and the light really turned on.



    So in the video he's using the Intuos Small. That's $200. Could I get away with the bamboo Capture for half that price, even though it is half as sensitive. The thing is it doesn't seem like the Bamboo has shortcut buttons on it. If the whole point is to increase efficiency, that seems like a major omission.
  • MrRobotoMrRoboto
    edited June 2013
    The whole point is to have a pressure sensitive device, not efficiency. Also, the bamboo has the same pressure sensitivity as the intuos had like 2 or 3 years ago, so it's not that bad, the only thing that is missing is the angle detection, but if you are not using it for coloring or inking, you are not missing out. Btw, PHOTOshop was made for photography retouching, not coloring or drawing.
    Post edited by MrRoboto on
  • AprecheApreche
    The whole point is to have a pressure sensitive device, not efficiency. Also, the bamboo has the same pressure sensitivity as the intuos had like 2 or 3 years ago, so it's not that bad, the only thing that is missing is the angle detection, but if you are not using it for coloring or inking, you are not missing out.
    What does the angle detection do?

  • NeitoNeito
    The whole point is to have a pressure sensitive device, not efficiency. Also, the bamboo has the same pressure sensitivity as the intuos had like 2 or 3 years ago, so it's not that bad, the only thing that is missing is the angle detection, but if you are not using it for coloring or inking, you are not missing out.
    What does the angle detection do?

    With real pens, the angle you put the pen at changes the way the lines come out.
  • AprecheApreche
    The whole point is to have a pressure sensitive device, not efficiency. Also, the bamboo has the same pressure sensitivity as the intuos had like 2 or 3 years ago, so it's not that bad, the only thing that is missing is the angle detection, but if you are not using it for coloring or inking, you are not missing out.
    What does the angle detection do?

    With real pens, the angle you put the pen at changes the way the lines come out.
    Oh derp. I thought it had to do with the angle of the tablet itself. That's actually kind of cool...
  • open_sketchbookopen_sketchbook
    When I'm texturing, I often set angle detection to brush hardness and pressure to brush size. It takes some getting used to muscle memory-wise but it allows some great control when I'm doing clothing or flesh.
  • Dazzle369Dazzle369
    Bamboo for beginners, Intuoso Intermediate, Cintiq Professionals

    I'm currently using a Bamboo, the pressure resolution is limited, but enough for my noob level artistry.

    When I can afford to, I'll be upgrading to the Cintiq, it just has everything you need.

    You're drawing directly on the screen. Touch based gesture shortcuts, high resolution pressure sensing, angle detection for those special brushes. Not to mention 98% adobe colour calibration.
  • Dazzle369Dazzle369
    http://www.wacom.com/products/pen-displays/cintiq/cintiq-13hd
  • Dazzle369Dazzle369
    http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/creative-hardware/wacom-ipad-is-here-cintiq-companion-tablets-launch-with-windows-8-android-versions/
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