Graphics Tablets

[shira]

Hey guys- was wondering if any of you can advise me on a decent budget graphics tablet?

Basically through my photoshop work i've noticed, alot of stuff would be easier, or look more effective with pen pressure control as opposed to my mouse so i'm on the look for a tablet.

A friend reccomended me this, but my girlfriend says it's to small. I belive the one I just linked to is A6 size, and she has an A5 tablet and claims it to be to small. Apperntly it's hard to lasoo stuff with the A5 tablet so, she advises me to buy A4/A5- however, I'm guessing that's gonna cost me out the ass.

Should that tablet do? The guy who reccomended it is a graphic designer by trade and he says it's great but- i figure Outlawstar, Wildcard or others here may have knowledge of these too!

Thanks

 

[Rui]

My husband had an A5 Wacom Intuos and loved it. He said on this that it's not hard to lasso anything since it's mapped 1:1 with your screen and he has certainly used it to make lots of great pictures.

I find it very hard to use (note that I also find a mouse hard to use despite having had one since I was a kid!) because of the coordination needed. We got a much nicer 12" Cintiq last year which is brilliant. Very expensive though (it was a gift, fortunately).

R

 

[shira]

My husband had an A5 Wacom Intuos and loved it. He said on this that it's not hard to lasso anything since it's mapped 1:1 with your screen and he has certainly used it to make lots of great pictures.

I find it very hard to use (note that I also find a mouse hard to use despite having had one since I was a kid!) because of the coordination needed. We got a much nicer 12" Cintiq last year which is brilliant. Very expensive though (it was a gift, fortunately).

R

Yeah- My girlfriend says it's hard to lasso because of the 1:1- it means on her A5 tablet, it's hard to be accurate with it. I guess i'd need to experiment with it.

I can't use a mouse either Rui! However- that's cause i'm left handed, and my mouse is operated with my right hand. :lol:

 

[Charter_Mage]

I haven't bought a new tablet in years. The one I'm using was cheap when i bought it and has little to no pressure sensitivity at all. All the same I can really recommend getting one. It takes a little while to get used to, but the control you get if far and above what you get from a mouse!

A5 is probably ideal, but I think A6 is fine for someone starting out. The tablet I have is A6 - sometimes I wish it was just a little bigger, but it is fine for the most part, and I wouldn't be put off buying another A6 if I found one that was decent and at a good price.
I wouldn't recommend getting anything as big as an A4, you would have to spend a fortune to get a decent one, and unless you are something like an architect you don't need it

 

[shira]

I just purchased an A5 yesterday

Should arrive some point next week (Hopefully not the night before an exam :lol

 

[Ushio]

God, it's been ages since I was last on this forum... >_>;

I just purchased an A5 yesterday

Should arrive some point next week (Hopefully not the night before an exam :lol

Damn, too late to help out! But yeah you should be fine with an A5, anything made my Wacom is good to go imo. :wink: Hope you like it when it comes!

 

[shira]

God, it's been ages since I was last on this forum... >_>;

I just purchased an A5 yesterday

Should arrive some point next week (Hopefully not the night before an exam :lol

Damn, too late to help out! But yeah you should be fine with an A5, anything made my Wacom is good to go imo. :wink: Hope you like it when it comes!

Haha-!

It got sent yesterday

I'm tempted to buy an awesome one at the end of the Summer. I would have been working and saving for like 10 weeks so i'd be able to afford an Intuous 4

But who knows! :lol:

 

[Outlawstar]

Darn too late also, but it seems youve made a good choice, as long as its Wacom, A5 is an ideal size, if you have a wide-screen its also better to opt for a wide-screen mapped tablet, though its not the end of the world if you dont.-
Personally my first tablet was an A5 Grapphre, which was perfect and my current tablet is actually a6, which I really have no problem producing artwork with, its very rare that it feels too small, you can always zoom on the fly anyways.
But that new Intuos four is making me drool

Good luck with the new Tablet Spyro, remember it takes getting used to and dont forget you can tailor it specifically to your needs in terms of sensitivity and speed

 

[shira]

Darn too late also, but it seems youve made a good choice, as long as its Wacom, A5 is an ideal size, if you have a wide-screen its also better to opt for a wide-screen mapped tablet, though its not the end of the world if you dont.-
Personally my first tablet was an A5 Grapphre, which was perfect and my current tablet is actually a6, which I really have no problem producing artwork with, its very rare that it feels too small, you can always zoom on the fly anyways.
But that new Intuos four is making me drool

Good luck with the new Tablet Spyro, remember it takes getting used to and dont forget you can tailor it specifically to your needs in terms of sensitivity and speed

Aww thanks man

Would you mind if I pm'd you with questions should they arise?

 

[Tasker]

Not sure about the one your friend recomended, but I bought an A5 Wacom Bamboo Fun a couple of months ago and it's fantastic.

Even though it's called Fun, it's actually close to professional grade and how I ever got along without it I have no idea.

Takes a little getting used to at first, but when you do, you'll never go back.

 

[shira]

Not sure about the one your friend recomended, but I bought an A5 Wacom Bamboo Fun a couple of months ago and it's fantastic.

Even though it's called Fun, it's actually close to professional grade and how I ever got along without it I have no idea.

Takes a little getting used to at first, but when you do, you'll never go back.

Yep! Imm using Bamboo fun too and it's great

Arrived today

 

[ayase]

Not sure about the one your friend recomended, but I bought an A5 Wacom Bamboo Fun a couple of months ago and it's fantastic.

Even though it's called Fun, it's actually close to professional grade and how I ever got along without it I have no idea.

Takes a little getting used to at first, but when you do, you'll never go back.

Yep! Imm using Bamboo fun too and it's great

Arrived today

That makes three of us.

::Holds tablet pen high::

Super Bamboo Fun Club Go!

Ahem.

(Sorry for bringing this up now and only contributing in a maho shojo manner, but people had already said everything I could think of...)

 

[Tasker]

One thing I will just add though...

They don't have the clear protective sheet that the Intuos have, so the rougher texture seems to eat pen nibs like nobodys business.

I keep meaning to get a sheet of smooth acetate and trim it to fit so that the nibs last longer.

 

[shira]

One thing I will just add though...

They don't have the clear protective sheet that the Intuos have, so the rougher texture seems to eat pen nibs like nobodys business.

I keep meaning to get a sheet of smooth acetate and trim it to fit so that the nibs last longer.

I quite like the rough feel. How much do nib replacements cost?

 

[Tasker]

You know... that's one thing i havn't actually looked into yet.

 

[ayase]

How hard do you press down on it? I'm only on my second nib after almost a year... I still use my mouse for day to day stuff like, I know some people use them all the time.

 

[Tasker]

How hard do you press down on it? I'm only on my second nib after almost a year... I still use my mouse for day to day stuff like, I know some people use them all the time.

To be honest, probably too hard.

I'm still on my first nib, but I don't think I will be for much longer.

One of my mates at work has beein using his Intuos for about 10 years now, as an illustator/retoucher he uses it for everything he does and he's still on his first nib.