I've heard it's not very portable the power and everything that was in the big brother has been moved to a brick, so you have an extension going from the tablet, to the brick, to the wall. I used one at GDC and really liked it though, but I think the 21 incher would probably be better if it was stationary on my desk, I thought the 12wx promise was in it's portability but it's still pretty heavy with the brick power supply.
I have the 12, and moving it around is a pain. The squidbox and power adapter are kind of bulky and can be a pain to wrap up. I have a decent sized pack that I carry my MacBook around in, and it actually takes up less space (power adapter included) than the Cintiq. Considering how infrequently I move it, I'd probably have gone with the 21 if I had the money.
That said, the 12" DOES fit into my bag, something the 21 couldn't do. Since you can zoom in and out so easily, I don't think I miss having the extra screen space.
Considering I could never quite get comfortable with traditional tablets, the hand-eye disconnect issue, I definitely think it's worth it. Another Polycounter wrote a great in-depth review of the 12" about a year ago, you should definitely check it out: http://www.donaldphan.com/misc/Cintiq12wx/cintiq12wx.html
I have a 12" at home and the larger widescreen version at work.
The 12" is a little bit of a hassle to unplug but it DOES fit perfectly into my bag thus making it very portable. I also don't mind the size of it since I share the computer with my wife and she doesn't use the cintiq.
I'd buy it again as I think it's definitely better than a intuos tablet.
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I know Pior has one that he hardly uses because (and I paraphrase) 'it has jittery cursor-movement'. I know he had some more complaints, such as it really being too small, but I'm sure he'll just post in here eventually.
I found there to be jitters in the tip top corners... I also found this was the problem if my cintiq is too close to my CRT monitor and speakers. I pull it back a couple inches and my jittering goes away. My giant widescreen one at work does the exact same thing.
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I have a 12wx but have not used the bigger ones. It is badass. I am not sure how you are supposed to work on the bigger ones.. with your arm up? I learned to draw with a notebook in my lap, so it is pretty natural and you can turn it to get the angle you want when you are doing straight lines. I never move it away from my desk, so transportability is not an issue for me.
I got a Cintiq 12wx and also had Jitter issues. And the issues were not only in the corners of the screen they were noticeable throughout the entire thing. Seems like there are some good ones and some bad ones out there. Maybe some of us just got a dud!
My friend had one, was cool, but it Felt like I was relearning how to use the Intuos for the first time. I just picked up the 20wsx and diving in seems natural, (although slightly less precise to to the lag, and the top half heats up enough to be annoying)
Thanks for the insight guys. I currently have an Intuos 3 tablet but thought I might try for a Cintiq because of the hand to eye coordination issue. From what I have read it seems that the Cintiq is a more natural drawing experience. I just wanted to get some impressions from actual artists who use these tablets on a day to day basis.
verm: Thanks for the linkage. Portability isn't that much of an issue for me since I will probably be doing most of my work at home. Price is a more pertinent factor here otherwise I would consider the 21".
MightyPea: The jitter issue seems to be a common complaint. It's a bit disconcerting considering how much these things cost. I think I need to do some more research on this.
thomas: I might just do that. Thanks for the link. Some useful advice there.
Replies
That said, the 12" DOES fit into my bag, something the 21 couldn't do. Since you can zoom in and out so easily, I don't think I miss having the extra screen space.
Considering I could never quite get comfortable with traditional tablets, the hand-eye disconnect issue, I definitely think it's worth it. Another Polycounter wrote a great in-depth review of the 12" about a year ago, you should definitely check it out:
http://www.donaldphan.com/misc/Cintiq12wx/cintiq12wx.html
The 12" is a little bit of a hassle to unplug but it DOES fit perfectly into my bag thus making it very portable. I also don't mind the size of it since I share the computer with my wife and she doesn't use the cintiq.
I'd buy it again as I think it's definitely better than a intuos tablet.
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looks really tiny in that review tho. you should ask the concept guys at work for a tryout on their 21UX's.
dunno if that helps xD what's the price difference? if the difference is less than half the value of the 12", go for the bigger one.
verm: Thanks for the linkage. Portability isn't that much of an issue for me since I will probably be doing most of my work at home. Price is a more pertinent factor here otherwise I would consider the 21".
MightyPea: The jitter issue seems to be a common complaint. It's a bit disconcerting considering how much these things cost. I think I need to do some more research on this.
thomas: I might just do that. Thanks for the link. Some useful advice there.