Which Wacom and why?

March 6, 2012 10:51 AM

I'm an artist jack-of-all-trades and have been wanting a tablet to draw/trace ideas that will eventually be turned into paintings. I want to create clean line drawings/outlines that will be projected onto the canvas, and I work from there. I don't plan to draw finished images with the tablet (for now). PC user, have used tablets only a handful of times.

I've been leaning towards buying a medium Bamboo Pen and Touch over a small Intuos4 - basically because of cost, and I feel like I will want more space to draw on (I definitely can't justify a medium Intuos4 at the moment). But after a couple of recent technology purchases, in which I've gone for the cheaper/less professional option, I've been disappointed with the performance, so I'm hesitant to do the same thing this time.

Can anyone tell me in real terms what the differences are between the 2 tablets? (Bamboo Pen & Touch Medium vs Intous4 Small) I've read the specs, but can't really relate to them.

I've also read that what size you want will depend on what how you work, but can someone give feedback on how they've found the Small or Medium? Is an A6 too small for the average person, or does it do the job?

I know there are some other posts about these tablets, but the ones I've found are either old, or don't address the specific difference between the 2 in real terms, so any help would be appreciated!

posted by halcorp to Technology (7 answers total)

I've used the smallest of small tablets, and honestly, I've had no problem with that. The one I have at home is that small tablet (an old Wacom Graphire); the one I have at work is the Bamboo model. To the eye, it feels better having a bigger surface, but really- it doesn't make that much difference for usage because your eye/hand adjusts to the output on screen.

The most important spec is the sensitivity, not the size of the tablet. But in your case, where a finished on-screen drawing is not important, you can actually scrimp on the levels of sensitivity too. In your case, I would go with the most cost-effective option.
posted by Eicats at 11:08 AM on March 6, 2012

I have a small Wacom Bamboo and find it entirely adequate for my purposes (some sketching, mostly Illustrator work and some Photoshop retouching) - I don't have a lot of experience using larger tablets, but I tend to agree with Eicats; a smaller tablet isn't as much of a limitation as it seems because your brain works out the hand/eye discrepancy just fine; you're not stuck with a 1:1 tablet area to screen area ratio. The Bamboo looks & feels very solid for the money. My wife is still using a Graphire2 that we purchased in 2001 or 2002. (the Graphire was the predecessor to the Bamboo line, I believe.)
posted by usonian at 12:34 PM on March 6, 2012

Best answer: I used a Bamboo 'Fun' for a couple years. Worked fine for my illustration using Photoshop. Convinced myself that I was limiting myself using what I thought might be more of a toy than a professional tool, so purchased a medium Intuos4 at significantly higher cost than what I paid for the Bamboo (something like $60 versus more than $300). I now have a larger working surface and I thought the additional pressure gradients and tilt sensitivity would give me a finer touch that would be reflected in the quality of my work, but honestly, I don't notice the difference. You grow accustomed to whatever you are using. For the cost the Bamboo was a great purchase. Wish it was possible to use them both on the same machine, and maybe I'd pack up the Bamboo with the laptop and go doodle in the library some days.
posted by TimTypeZed at 1:52 PM on March 6, 2012

Monoprice makes super cheap tablets. I have never actually used a Wacom, but for my purposes the 9" x 12" Monoprice tablet is pretty awesome.
posted by kpmcguire at 3:05 PM on March 6, 2012

Best answer: I have a small Bamboo at work and a big Intuos at home and they're both pretty good. Previously I bought a cheap no-name tablet and that was pretty much unusable. I'd say if you stick with the Wacoms you'll be fine, and as it doesn't sound like pressure sensitivity would be a big deal for you, the Bamboo should be suitable.
posted by KateViolet at 5:10 PM on March 6, 2012

I used to have a larger tablet (I think the usable area was something like 6" x 9"), but it was an off-brand (Aiptek, which isn't around anymore, but I think they've since become the Genius brand) and had more than its fair share of problems. I moved on to the Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch about a year ago, and I adapted to the smaller size pretty much right away.

I have no problems with drawing tiny details, and I use this thing for everything -- there's still a mouse attached to my computer, but I never use it. Although I know a couple of people who could never get the hang of using a pen and tablet, and gave up in disgust.

My husband uses a slightly larger Wacom (he also used to have an Aiptek tablet) for his webcomic, and we're both delighted with the brand. Even the small Bamboo is a huge step up as far as quality and reliability are concerned. Hubby's had his Wacom for years, and even though (thanks to his not-gentle treatment) it looks battered and busted up, it still works perfectly.
posted by themissy at 7:12 AM on March 7, 2012

Don't buy any brand but Wacom. The support will not be there. The market is getting flooded right now with extremely cheap Chinese knockoffs, but none of them are exactly like the Wacom because that technology is still protected by patent.

If you can find a used Intuos 3 (the older generation), buy it. It will cost you less than the newer model (they're up to Intuos 5 now), but they're more durable than the newer line, so I have heard.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 7:44 AM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]