<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Worth every cent if you spend a lot of time in graphics apps
Review: I bought the Wacom 4x5 Intuos2 tablet to use with a laptop. I was a little apprehensive about the smaller work area (my desktop tablet is an Aiptek 6x8), and wasn't sure the extra money over a similarly-sized Aiptek would prove worthwhile. It is!After a little problem getting the driver to install (helpful hint: if you've previously installed any graphics tablet [in Windows, anyway], uninstall it or neither one will function), it was up and running like a dream. Wacom's tablet control application offers a lot of opportunities for tweaking tool settings (pen tip soft/hardness, pen tilt, click speed, etc.), assigning functions to the command buttons at the top of the tablet, and creating special settings "palettes" for individual programs. You can play with a lot of settings, but you don't have to; geeks will like the control, but non-geeks can just set up the basics, forget the rest of the options, and it will still work fine. As for the construction and performance of the hardware, this is one slick tablet -- especially if used with applications that can take advantage of the pen pressure and pen tilt functionality (such as Photoshop 7). The tablet itself just feels *solid* and well-built; no flimsy, bendable tablet base here. Wacom calls the components' color "midnight," a very deep purple, with light gray accents. Very sleek, indeed. The included pen is easy on the hand, with both an integrated soft grip as well as an additional soft grip sleeve if you need it. The pen's stylus glides over the work surface without the "grainy" feel some other tablets have, and makes for very accurate pen/brush strokes and selection tool work (especially the magnetic lasso in PS7 -- this tablet makes it work like a dream!). The pen buttons are a little awkward to use at first, but after using them for a while they feel quite natural. Also, a nice little touch is the eraser on the pen: just like a pencil, turn the pen over and the eraser activates the eraser tool in your graphics app. Also included is a pen stand; nice, but I'm sure I'll lose it. Too bad Wacom doesn't include an adhesive option (such as Velcro or double-stick tape) to attach it to a surface. The included 2D mouse provides the functionality of the classic two-button scrolling mouse. The scroll wheel seems a little firm, but it may loosen with time and use. Even though it's sometimes convenient to use the tablet mouse, I still prefer to use my dedicated Microsoft wireless internet mouse for most mousing. Wacom does make a 4D tablet mouse that duplicates the extra functionality (two extra buttons which can be used, for example, as forward/back buttons in hypertext apps), but it would be an extra purchase. Perhaps the best thing about both included tools is that they're battery-free. Yahoo! No more 2 a.m. trips to the all-night convenience store to but AAA batteries when the pen gives out during an all-night work session. It does seem to draw a bit more power from your USB port, though (the tablet is recognized when plugged directly into an on-machine USB port or as the sole device on a hub, but not when sharing a USB hub with other devices). In summary, if you spend a lot of time using graphics/drawing applications, and especially those that fully support the advanced functionality of this tablet, I highly recommend it. If you can afford the extra cost for a bigger tablet work surface, I would recommend a bigger Wacom. If you're more of a casual user, you might look at the less expensive Aiptek tablets, or perhaps the Wacom Graphire2 tablets (no pen tilt support, fewer pen pressure levels, lower tablet resolution) -- but, really, you *do* get what you pay for.
Rating: 
Summary: I've tried both the 4x5 and 6x8
Review: I was put off by the price of these Intuos tablets. I assumed you'd need a larger-sized one if you wanted to do anything decent, and they are MAD expensive. And supposedly the Graphire, while much cheaper, is also vastly inferior - go figure. It seemed like an instance where you'd have to spend a chunk of change, which I didn't feel like doing - I wasn't convinced it was worth it. This may have had something to do with the fact that I'd never used one! They had Intuos tablets at my skool, I knew about them, but I never really bothered with them, or with Painter. I always felt like it was simpler to paint with paint and scan it for illustration work. I was keepin it real. I figured Painter was for people who didn't want to get their hands dirty. And as far as Intuos compatibility with other programs like Illustrator, Photoshop, etc, I was used to using the mouse and OK with it, so again, why bother. However, a couple friends from skool started using Intuos tablets with Painter. Once I saw prints of some of their paintings, and realized that they were totally digital, I had to admit I was impressed. Clearly Painter was developed by people who had a real understanding of the way paint acts, not to mention chalk, ink, pencil, airbrush, crayon, watercolor, etc. The thing is, you definitely DO need a tablet and stylus to take advantage of it. I started using Painter with the mouse, and right away I realized the extent of that problem. Painter 7 and up includes mouse-compatibility technology that supposedly allows for variation in pressure, etc, but it's still an awkward and clunky way to go. You can make it work, but you're handicapped from the start, and your results will be limited. I can't imagine that anybody would want to work that way. You need the stylus. I went ahead and bought a 4x5 Intuos. Well, first of all, the small size isn't that big of a deal. You technically only have the 4x5 space to work on, but the fact that you can zoom in and out and move your canvas around on the screen makes this a non-issue in practice. It would be nice to have a larger working space, but I suppose I'll live. They talk about "1,024 degrees of pressure-sensitivity" (or whatever) all over the box. That means nothing to anybody, but using is believing. Once I got the knack of the tablet (which does take a while - it's not as intuitive as you might think, it's an acquired skill), I was amazed at how exquisite it really is. Different pressures, different angles, everything behaves as you would expect real media to behave; and it's (almost) as expressive, because you're using it the same way - your marks are simply being recorded digitally rather than by pushing matter across a surface. You also have the convenience (within Painter) of being able to change paint color, brush type and size, "paper" type and color, and practically every other variable conceivable to the artist, all "at the click of a button" (like a 50's TV spot). From the point of view of professional illustration, this sort of thing is invaluable. All I've done so far is talk about Intuos with Painter, but to me that's it's main application. The other one that sticks out is Illustrator and/or Freehand, et al. As you may know, actual "drawing" with the mouse in this program can be mad retarded difficult. The stylus makes it more natural. Same thing in Flash, etc, and 3D apps like Maya, for the same reason. Oh, and of course Photoshop - in which I've used it mainly in making precise selections. Anyway, here ends my valentine. I know I sound like I'm employed by Wacom, which I hate...lol...but I do really like this stylus/tablet thingy.
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe it's not paint.
Review: I was put off by the price of these Intuos tablets. I assumed you'd need a larger-sized one if you wanted to do anything decent, and they are MAD expensive. And supposedly the Graphire, while much cheaper, is also vastly inferior - go figure. It seemed like an instance where you'd have to spend a chunk of change, which I didn't feel like doing - I wasn't convinced it was worth it. This may have had something to do with the fact that I'd never used one! They had Intuos tablets at my skool, I knew about them, but I never really bothered with them, or with Painter. I always felt like it was simpler to paint with paint and scan it for illustration work. I was keepin it real. I figured Painter was for people who didn't want to get their hands dirty. And as far as Intuos compatibility with other programs like Illustrator, Photoshop, etc, I was used to using the mouse and OK with it, so again, why bother. However, a couple friends from skool started using Intuos tablets with Painter. Once I saw prints of some of their paintings, and realized that they were totally digital, I had to admit I was impressed. Clearly Painter was developed by people who had a real understanding of the way paint acts, not to mention chalk, ink, pencil, airbrush, crayon, watercolor, etc. The thing is, you definitely DO need a tablet and stylus to take advantage of it. I started using Painter with the mouse, and right away I realized the extent of that problem. Painter 7 and up includes mouse-compatibility technology that supposedly allows for variation in pressure, etc, but it's still an awkward and clunky way to go. You can make it work, but you're handicapped from the start, and your results will be limited. I can't imagine that anybody would want to work that way. You need the stylus. I went ahead and bought a 4x5 Intuos. Well, first of all, the small size isn't that big of a deal. You technically only have the 4x5 space to work on, but the fact that you can zoom in and out and move your canvas around on the screen makes this a non-issue in practice. It would be nice to have a larger working space, but I suppose I'll live. They talk about "1,024 degrees of pressure-sensitivity" (or whatever) all over the box. That means nothing to anybody, but using is believing. Once I got the knack of the tablet (which does take a while - it's not as intuitive as you might think, it's an acquired skill), I was amazed at how exquisite it really is. Different pressures, different angles, everything behaves as you would expect real media to behave; and it's (almost) as expressive, because you're using it the same way - your marks are simply being recorded digitally rather than by pushing matter across a surface. You also have the convenience (within Painter) of being able to change paint color, brush type and size, "paper" type and color, and practically every other variable conceivable to the artist, all "at the click of a button" (like a 50's TV spot). From the point of view of professional illustration, this sort of thing is invaluable. All I've done so far is talk about Intuos with Painter, but to me that's it's main application. The other one that sticks out is Illustrator and/or Freehand, et al. As you may know, actual "drawing" with the mouse in this program can be mad retarded difficult. The stylus makes it more natural. Same thing in Flash, etc, and 3D apps like Maya, for the same reason. Oh, and of course Photoshop - in which I've used it mainly in making precise selections. Anyway, here ends my valentine. I know I sound like I'm employed by Wacom, which I hate...lol...but I do really like this stylus/tablet thingy.
Rating:
Summary: I've tried both the 4x5 and 6x8
Review: It was really hard deciding between the Intuos2 4x5 and the 6x8. In the past I've used these tablets both at home and at work. I mainly do photo retouching in Photoshop. The 4x5 is pretty expensive for a little tablet and there is a great deal on the 6x8 Platinum (cheaper than the purple 6x8). At these prices I can only afford to get one tablet. I want it to be the right one. I picked both of them up at a local electronics store and have them side by side in front of me now for testing. I'm only using a single 19 inch monitor. The 4x5 is a little small. You have to be more accurate with it to select menus, click icons etc. This accuracy requires you to make very small and precise hand movements that I'm finding makes my hand a little stressed and tired. You have to remember that a pen is not like a mouse. With a mouse you can move over an icon and hold it there without clicking on it. With a pen you have to have the tip hover over the pad in that location. If you touch the pad it means you clicked something. Any little movement of the hovering pen causes the cursor to move around. You are much more steady with a mouse. The 6x8 tablet is physically twice as big as the 4x5 and thicker. It is a bigger commitment of desk space. I must say that it feels more comfortable than the 4x5. With the 4x5 my hand would have to go off the right edge when I wanted to select something all the way on the right side of the screen. With the 6x8 the cursor isn't as wobbly when hovering over a point. My hand movements are a little looser since the tablet's active area is bigger and my hand is not as stressed when trying to click a tiny button on the screen. If you ever want to go with dual monitors forget about the 4x5. It would be way too small. Don't even think about getting anything bigger than a 6x8 either. Many have forked out the dough for bigger tablet and live to regret it. I'm keeping the 6x8 and returning the 4x5. If you can afford it, get the 6x8. If you can't afford the extra cost, you can make due with the 4x5. Where I would recommend the 4x5 is for laptops.
Rating:
Summary: This amateur loves it.
Review: [[ WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT ]] I have a very small desk, so the 4x5 dimensions of this tablet was just the right size for me. The installation tok 10 minutes to set up; it was easy. I really like the "omake" software that it came with. Painter Classic and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 make up a major part of the bundle. The former lets you create art that look like watercolours/oils, and the latter is great for final touchups. The pen is light and small. I'm a woman, with a small hand; I really like how the pen fits in my hand. [[ WHAT I DON'T LIKE ]] The mouse is superfluous: since the mouse only registers when it touches the tablet--and since your tablet is only 4 x5 (about the size of a hard-cover book)--you are not left with much elbow space. I used the mouse once, and then put it back in the box. I would recommend the official version, over the second-hand ones you can find on EBay. First of all, the sellers on eBay are greedy. The normal asking price is hardly less than the official version. Second, the official version comes with a lifetime guarantee. BTW, I am NOT a professional graphics artist. I use my tablet to make desktop wallpapers for myself and my friends, to do some art, extract images on PSP 7, etc. For my purposes, I am quite happy with this tablet!
Rating:
Summary: This amateur loves it.
Review: [[ WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT ]] I have a very small desk, so the 4x5 dimensions of this tablet was just the right size for me. The installation tok 10 minutes to set up; it was easy. I really like the "omake" software that it came with. Painter Classic and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 make up a major part of the bundle. The former lets you create art that look like watercolours/oils, and the latter is great for final touchups. The pen is light and small. I'm a woman, with a small hand; I really like how the pen fits in my hand. [[ WHAT I DON'T LIKE ]] The mouse is superfluous: since the mouse only registers when it touches the tablet--and since your tablet is only 4 x5 (about the size of a hard-cover book)--you are not left with much elbow space. I used the mouse once, and then put it back in the box. I would recommend the official version, over the second-hand ones you can find on EBay. First of all, the sellers on eBay are greedy. The normal asking price is hardly less than the official version. Second, the official version comes with a lifetime guarantee. BTW, I am NOT a professional graphics artist. I use my tablet to make desktop wallpapers for myself and my friends, to do some art, extract images on PSP 7, etc. For my purposes, I am quite happy with this tablet!
<< 1 >>
| 
