Im looking for a graphics tablet

December 3, 2008 9:41 AM

Im looking for an good and reasonable graphics tablet

I am looking to buy a graphics tablet and learn how to use it. Im not sure what to look for or where. I really want to try to get a deal around the holidays and all input/feedback is appreciated and considered!

posted by femmme to technology (10 answers total)

edit: reasonably priced, very reasonable...
posted by femmme at 9:42 AM on December 3, 2008

What on earth does "reasonably priced" mean? Give a number! Check wacom.com and pic k what fits your budget....
posted by devbrain at 9:44 AM on December 3, 2008

The general consensus is that anything that isn't a Wacom isn't good. Fortunately Wacom's Bamboo tablets are pretty cheap as far as things go.
posted by zsazsa at 9:48 AM on December 3, 2008

I have the HyperPen 12000U from Aiptek. It looks like it's an old model now, but but when I bought it, it was considerably cheaper than any Wacom tablet available, with comparable stats. I think it even offered greater pressure sensitivity, but fewer lines per inch.

I use it almost entirely for drawing in Illustrator, often at a very close zoom, so the lower resolution isn't anything that matters much to me. The higher pressure sensitivity was acutally what I was looking for.

It works great, though it seems like the pen sucks up batteries. A couple rechargeables takes care of that.
posted by The Man from Lardfork at 10:21 AM on December 3, 2008

Go with a Wacom. I've used it and other brands and Wacom wins hands down.

They're not expensive to buy new, in fact the smallest model they offer now is bigger than the ones I have and use daily. I see they offer the Bamboo for $80, I paid around $120 for mine a few years ago, so a great price for the hardware. Bigger is nicer, but don't put down the money until you know you're gonna really use the bigger model.

If you can buy one used though, you'll save cash and possibly score a bigger model for cheaper than the $80 that the new Wacom model is. I've used a Wacom ArtPad, it's at least 10 years old now with its serial connection and all, and it still works beautifully (in fact, it's sleeker than my newer Wacom tablet, and the pen is nicer too). Yeah you won't have the highest pressure sensitivity, but for learning, it doesn't matter a bit.
posted by Meagan at 10:26 AM on December 3, 2008

Yeah, go for a Wacom if you want a safe option. The Bamboo's a bit small, but there's a huge price jump to the medium-sized models (mine's A5/6 x 8) so it might be a sensible choice to start with.
posted by malevolent at 10:48 AM on December 3, 2008

I love and cherish my Wacom Intuos3 6X8, but you might have good results with the 4x6. I was not impressed with the Bamboo when I tried it out.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 11:19 AM on December 3, 2008

I am also of the opinion that anything other than Wacom is a waste of money. Which model you get is highly dependent on what you want to do with it. The fancy big ones are nice, but if you are just doing something like photo retouching (rather than illustration) the small/cheap ones are more than fine. I use a 4x6 Intuos to retouch my photos and love it.
posted by bradbane at 12:04 PM on December 3, 2008

You need to be a bit more specific about what you intend to use a tablet for. Photo retouching? Illustration? Handwriting? The general consensus around here is that Wacom is hands-down the best; its high prices are due to some of its unique features and quality (to date, I have not heard of any other brand using battery-less pens and having a eraser, for one thing). Driver support is practicallly universal across all major OSes. So really, "reasonably" priced does not equal "low" priced. Wacoms are worth the investment.

That said! I recently acquired a Penpower Tooya Pro on a whim ($70 rebate :P). It's pretty decent, the price is decent, but it has some minor lag issues. I still need to experiment with it a bit more, but you can look into that as an alternative.
posted by curagea at 12:36 PM on December 3, 2008

Wacom. Wacom. Wacom. This can't be stressed enough.

The "Bamboo Fun" is fine for getting started with graphics work, but if any of the Intuos line fits your definition of reasonable price, the added features (better pressure resolution, tilt detection, added pens, etc) are definitely worth more than the price of admission.
posted by jjb at 1:13 PM on December 3, 2008