Tablets...

Talbot

Hey everyone!
I have recently been looking into tablets to help me with my 3d art. From what I found out, they get expensive! But I did find the Wacom Bamboo for $60 and I'm wondering what people think of it for an entry tablet. I don't want to spend much more than $60 on my first one and I want people to know that I just need an introductory tablet that will do the basics, doesn't have to big and won't break in the first month. So let me know what you thoughts are. Thanks!

Talbot

sprunghunt

I have a wacom bamboo at home. It works fine and does the job. The most annoying thing about it is that you can't have the buttons on the pen do different things in different applications like you can with an intuos. Otherwise it works fine.

PolyHertz

I'd say get a Graphire, they're what used to be the budget tablet from Wacom, but got replaced by the inferior Bamboo at some point.

Steve Schulze

Someone linked me to this tablet a while back. I haven't tried it out myself, but on paper it appears to almost on par with the Intuos 3 (the resolution falls halfway between the 2 and 3) while retailing for around half the price. The down side is that the pen is battery operated.
http://www.wyntec.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=69491

Cody

Go wacom. Trust me it is worth it and will not let you down. I am not counting bamboo as wacom. At least get the graphire. used on ebay you can find a deal, or intuos 1 or two. Wacoms last forever so dont worry about getting an older one.

teacup42729

Cody wrote: »

Wacoms last forever so dont worry about getting an older one.

Just wanted to second this. I'm still using a serial intuos 1 everyday for pretty much everything on my work machine, it was pretty old when I started using it 5 years ago and it's still going strong.

rebb

PolyHertz wrote: »

I'd say get a Graphire, they're what used to be the budget tablet from Wacom, but got replaced by the inferior Bamboo at some point.

Why is the Bamboo inferior to the Graphire ? I thought they had pretty much the same specs.

ghib

I prefer the bamboo. Other than not being able to configure the buttons differently for each app you use it has a nicer feel to the surface. is more like drawing on paper than sliding over an oily surface.

PolyHertz

rebb wrote: »

Why is the Bamboo inferior to the Graphire ? I thought they had pretty much the same specs.

I don't doubt they do actually, was more referring to the build quality. When I tried out the Bamboo at one point it felt more like a cheap toy then the graphire.

In hindsight though the Bamboo has a breakaway cable and extra buttons, nice features that the graphire lacks...

EarthQuake

Try to find a used 4x5 intous 2 on ebay, they tend to go for pretty cheap, and will be much better than a bamboo or graphire.

Talbot

Cody:
Yeah many people have said that and judging on what teacup42729 said, it really doesn't matter how old they are.

EarthQuake:
I'm really considering taking your advice but I think if I was going to pay for more than the bamboo I would want a larger size to go along with it. So do you think it would be worth it to wait a month or two to save money and get an intuos 2 6x8 instead of getting the bamboo right away (right away meaning within the next week)?

Jackablade:
Sorry but I just assume that if I'm paying over $200 that I just get a Wacom because of their reputation. The battery in the pen isn't a huge problem for me though.

Polyhertz:
Is the only difference between a Intuos and a Graphire the shortcut buttons?

ghib:
Are you saying you think that for the price the bamboo isn't bad or that if all the tablets were the same price and size you would get a bamboo because you like the way it feels?

teacup42729:
That is amazing! I'm now going to look at the old versions a little closer.

EarthQuake

Yeah, if you're serious about doing art, save up and get a 6x8 intuos 2 or 3. Really these things last forever and its a VERY good investment. Once you get it you'll realize its worth every penny and more. If you go with a cheaper one you'll just end up having to upgrade later on anyway.

Michael Knubben

The bamboo's fine. Those who say it's inferior can't have spent any great amount of time with them. My experience with the Graphire and Bamboo has been extensive, and I'd say they're each others equals in general. The Bamboo's build quality seems a bit better, in that the transparant flap over the active area is a bit sturdier than that attached to the Graphire, and other than that they're pretty similar. The Bamboo has a slightly more jittery pressure sensitivity response, but for the price, it's an excellent piece of equipment.
One sad things is that Wacom gimps the drivers for the bamboo, meaning you don't get to tweak them as much, and that it doesn't have the eraser; Not that I ever used it, or anyone I know, but still...
The pen feels nicer, though.

Edit: ghib is talking about the flap that i mentioned. The Intuous 3 has a transparent hard plastic cover, while the intuous 2, graphire and bamboo (bamboo one, at least) have a slightly matted, grainy plastic that many people prefer, me included.

eeedit2: I've been using my Graphire 2 for some.. I don't know, eight years? Only recently did the pen break, which is unfortunate, since a new pen costs as much as a new bamboo, and I could get the bamboo straight away, while the pen had to be orderred. Since this was during a freelance assignment, the choice was easy.
On that topic, if anyone has a graphire pen laying around, I'd love to have it. It's annoying having two perfectly working tablets, but only being able to use the one. I'd pay for shipping (within reason) ofcourse!

Talbot

Yeah I'm going to see if I can get an intuos 2 and if I can't find a cheap one in a couple weeks I will get the bamboo.

PolyHertz

Well the Intuos does have more levels of pressure sensetivity then the graphire as well if you want to be technical about it, but to me the only real difference was that the Intuos feels more like a tool, less like a toy, then the graphire or Bamboo. Weather you have 500 or 5000 levels of pressure sensetivity doesn't really matter sense it's like being in zbrush and caring if you're able to increase the z-intensity in 0.01% increments, no one needs that.

But really, It's like drawing with a Fisher Price squiggle pen vs a fancy metal pen, neither is going to make your art better or worse, it's just a matter of which you feel most comfortable using.

MightyPea: Gave away my Graphire stuff while back, otherwise you'd have been welcome to it :-/

Art1977

I started with a 50 € Tablet from Genius. For 2 Tweeks ago, i decided to buy a knew one and started to think about which one. At first i also looked for the bamboo, but the most people i talked to, didn´t recommend it to me. Everyone gave me the tip i give to you:

I would recommend everyone who wants to buy a graphic tablet, spare your many and buy a intuos. Maye a used one Intuos 2

And I bought last week a wacom intuos 3 a5 @ebay for around 212€. This was the best buy i ever did. The difference between both tablets are enormous. And in Photoshop and Zbrush the difference between the Genius and the Intuos is quite noticeable.