Spec me a tablet

[reflux]

Thinking of asking for a drawing tablet for my birthday, mostly for PhotoShop work but also Illustrator.

Are there any decent models available for under £100? I was thinking of a Wacom; they seem to be the de facto standard. And does it matter that I have the drawing skills of a chimp with no arms; does it speed up workflow on the whole?

 

[whitecrook]

Thinking of asking for a drawing tablet for my birthday, mostly for PhotoShop work but also Illustrator.

Are there any decent models available for under £100? I was thinking of a Wacom; they seem to be the de facto standard. And does it matter that I have the drawing skills of a chimp with no arms; does it speed up workflow on the whole?

I've had 2 Intuous (oversize A4, and 12x12) and 1 graphire (A6).

The intuos tablets are awesome, and I much prefer the larger size.

Workflow can be speeded up with the macros and eraser and pressure sensitivity and tilt functionaly In short they rock. You don't need to use them for drawing, they are very good for retouching, and even just as a regular mouse substitute.

Price wise, I think £100 will get you a second hand large format one as I think they retail new for £350 +

The general consensus seems to be that the smaller ones (A5 or smaller) are good for sketching and image retouching, The larger ones are good for that but also large drawing/painting cad cam and they work better with the mouse IME, the smaller tablets are too small for good mousing.

Plus, the smaller ones suit 'wrist action' i.e sketching, and the larger ones favour large arm movements, i'e painting etc.. if you know what I mean.

But the drivers allow you to configure all different areas and things - very customisable.

I wouldn't get a tablet unless it was a Wacom.

 

[tsinc80697]

I wouldn't get a tablet unless it was a Wacom.

Seconded! Had a small one then bought an A5 wide(6x11). I think this is the perfect size if you're working on a widescreen monitor as it keeps a near perfect ratio.

For £100 I'd either get something like a Bamboo to play with or 2nd hand. You might not like it/use it so spending £100 straight up might be a waste!

 

[reflux]

Thanks for the info guys, very helpful I'll have a look at pricing and see what's available for how much. Bamboos look pretty cheap; hopefully they don't lose too many of the Intuous features.

 

[tsinc80697]

I think the main difference is the level of sensitivity but as a beginner I doubt you will notice much difference, orth getting something like a Bamboo to start with