Wacom tablets

#1 I have a Wacom Intuos 2. It takes a bit getting used to, but once you do it feels very natural. My daughter has a Wacom Graphire 3, and it works well also - I can't really tell the difference for what I do anyway. You may want to get at least the 6X8 version. If not, you may be wishing it was bigger down the line. 6x8 feels just right for me.

#2 Thanks for that tip Jaimi.
Do you think the price is right for either Intuos 2 or Graphire 3? worth what you paid for, overpriced?

#3 I have a Graphire3 and these tablets more than pay for themselves.

#4 Thanks Cornell.

As a side question: any tablets y'all have tried that caused too much pain and agony that you do not recommend myself or anyone to consider? Just so I don't get myself in the mode of, "well they don't sell wacom here but they have this other one that looks decent..." if you know what I mean? :)

#5 Well I've also got a Graphire and it really helps, especially since I'm not good with a mouse. When I bought mine, it was $100, which is pretty impressive considering it included the pen, mouse, and included some graphics packages.

#6 I bought another brand many years ago by company named Aiptek: HyperPen 5000. The pressure sensitivity was not very accurate and was not getting the results I wanted and been sitting in my closet ever since. Was like 30 bucks cheaper than the Graphire 3. After getting the Wacom was like "Why the hell didn't I just get one these instead of being a cheap bastard" :P Heheh.

#7 Thanks y'all, I'll definitely avoid Aiptek, and sounds like (so far) the graphire is the tablet of choice. :)

Appreciate everyone's input. :)

#8 @A Herrera

I've only used Wacom products (Intuos and Graphire) and have loved using them. I've never heard a complaint against them. But I've heard lots of complaints against other brands.

You may not know this, but some organic modeling/scupting programs detect pressure levels from tablets and apply forces appropriately during the scupting process. Sharp Construct does this and Silo 2 (beta) now has it. I'm guessing that ZBrush and Mudbox can also do this.

So, if you sculpt and sketch, a drawing tablet can help with both.

#9 @Aaron - good to know, thank you.

#10 The Intuos line is more expensive, but it doesn't really feel worth that much more to me. I would think a Graphire would be fine for the majority of people (me included). I previously had the smaller Graphire (the 4x5) and it was just too small.

#11 Yeah, the pressure sensitivity addon to photoshop gets some nice work going!

#12 I'd strongly advice you against getting anything BUT a wacom. I've heard some REAL horror stories with people trying to save a couple of bucks and getting complete junk. With a wacom you know what you get.

As for intuos vs graphire, get whatever you can afford. I use an Intuos3 A5 (I believe it's called 6x8 in the US) myself. The smaller one is too small, and anything larger gets annoying to keep in your lap when you use it. The size depends entirely on how you use the tablet though, some are lucky like me and can get away with a bit smaller, some just need the huge expensive ones =).

#13 I live by Wacom tablets! Since the prices have come down, there's no reason not to buy a Wacom. I get by with a modest 4x6 tablet, and I love it.

Avoid Aiptek like the plague. They're awful tablets, the drivers are crap, tech support is nonexistent, and the grid breaks down in months leaving you with a worthless chunk of cheap, inert plastic.

#14 Thanks all.

I will be purchasing the graphire 6x8 tonight. :) I appreciate everyone's input.

#15 Wacom tablets are wonderful. I'm going to be getting one myself a Graphire tablet here in about a week, myself. I have a very talented friend who is a wonderful artist, and she has an Intuos3 tablet, and it's really quite wonderful. As for tips for tablets, here's what I know: Only some of the tablets have additional function buttons on the tablet themselves. GET THIS. You don't want to have to be, for instance, drawing or painting, and have to put down the pen, pick up the mouse, click on a different tool, pick up the pen, and go back to drawing. The better the tablet integrates into your use, the better, cuz you'll regret it later if you don't get the right thing.

Hope it helps ^_^

#16 @Jacob - excellent point. Thanks.

#17 To clarify what Jacob said a bit; The pen works just like a mouse, there's no need to "put down the pen, pick up the mouse" to click on tools. Some of the tablets have buttons that you can bind to keyboard keys though. (this may or may not be useful for you, I found the idea interesting at first but quickly went back to using the keyboard for most things like holding down alt or space in photoshop).

#18 Ah, yes. What Magnus said, hehe.. like I said, I'm getting one, but don't actually have one myself yet. but you got the idea xD

#19 My 2 cents.

I went through two graphire tablets when I was in school, they worked great, but I don't think they are as durable as my current Intuos tablet. I was hard on them though - I stuffed them in my backpack several times a day and lugged them around everywhere.

The thing that always wore out for me was the usb cable. I think all the winding and unwinding to fit in my backpack was too much for it and they would short out.

Also, the plastic in the "drawing" area of the tablet seems to be a little too easy to scratch.

i think the graphires would be fine if you just had them sitting on your computer desk and treated them with respect. Lol.

That said, my new Intuos tablet is definately of higher quality in the materials department. I can't say I notice a difference in the way it works exactly, but the higher quality plastics is nice for me. Also, the Intuos comes with a much nicer pen with a comfortable rubbery grip and several additional nibs.

#20 Anyone here use a Cintique? I've been debating whether to get one.

I've got an Intuos 2 12x18 now and can't say enough good stuff about it. I couldn't go smaller now, the extra size is great. It allows for much more accuracy.