Graphics tablets - educated opinions needed

[Vanguard_Ex]

Sup guys. If you don't know anything about graphics tablets then sorry but, please exit to your left - as the title says, I need experienced opinions here.

So I want to invest in a graphics tablet, nothing major, just for hobbying purposes. In light of this fact, coupled with the fact that I'm a student surviving mostly off loans, I'm not looking for something expensive and heavily professional. Right now I'm trying to decide between a Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet (this 'un):
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/hardware/gr/bamboo.htm

or an ODYS Multi Graphic (this 'un):
http://www.odys.de/web/multi-graphic-board_en.html

Not to say those are the sole two options. If anyone else can suggest something that is better than either yet still keeping under, let's say, 60 pounds (97 US dollars) then that'd be great too.
So, halp?

 

[Jacco]

If you're not a professional, I would actually recommend an iPad or something similar. I have an iPad with an app called sketchbook and I've drawn some pretty sweet pictures on it. Yes it's more expensive than a straight up GT, but it also has hella more uses too.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

If you're not a professional, I would actually recommend an iPad or something similar. I have an iPad with an app called sketchbook and I've drawn some pretty sweet pictures on it. Yes it's more expensive than a straight up GT, but it also has hella more uses too.

Ehh I'm not really going for an iPad. Thank you for the suggestion but I think everyone would assume I've suddenly gone mad.

 

[Nazz3]

I've been thinking of getting one too. When you can draw with a mouse almost like you could with a pen you know it's time to finally get a tablet

I've been thinking about the Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch tablet. It's something like 20 euros more than the Pen tablet but it has an eraser on the tip of the pen and it has more pressure levels, the Pen tablet has 512 and Pen & touch has 1024 I think, not sure if you can notice the difference really though. It also has some extra buttons on the sides while the pen tablet has none.

I used to have the Aiptek Media Tablet 14000U some years ago, which was pretty big and worked pretty good, but it broke after like a week for me, when you tried drawing a straight line in the center of it the line would get all distorted. I had an insurance for it but didn't really bother and just left it in the closet and dunno where it is now lol.

Wacom is also releasing Inkling pretty soon I think, it will be something like 200 dollars and it looks pretty neat:

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

I've been thinking of getting one too. When you can draw with a mouse almost like you could with a pen you know it's time to finally get a tablet

I've been thinking about the Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch tablet. It's something like 20 euros more than the Pen tablet but it has an eraser on the tip of the pen and it has more pressure levels, the Pen tablet has 512 and Pen & touch has 1024 I think, not sure if you can notice the difference really though. It also has some extra buttons on the sides while the pen tablet has none.

I used to have the Aiptek Media Tablet 14000U some years ago, which was pretty big and worked pretty good, but it broke after like a week for me, when you tried drawing a straight line in the center of it the line would get all distorted. I had an insurance for it but didn't really bother and just left it in the closet and dunno where it is now lol.

Wacom is also releasing Inkling pretty soon I think, it will be something like 200 dollars and it looks pretty neat

Thanks a lot for the input I think I may just go for a Wacom Bamboo, seeing as it's just for hobby purposes.

Although I do have one, potentially silly worry about a Pen and Touch tablet: you know how when you're drawing or writing, you need to rest the side of your hand on the paper? With a tablet that responds to touch, wouldn't that mess up the drawing?

 

[viranimus]

Wow, I think the Ipad idea is about the worst suggestion possible. Yeah lets overpay a couple grand for a device, just so we can get a program for it to emulate pen tablet capability.

Honestly I would suggest either the bamboo to start off with or perhaps even go as far as

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823102007

initially because of the excessively low comparative price. It will give you an idea on the basics of the technology and how viable its use will be. From there, if your comfortable with it, I would not even bother with the bamboo and prolly go for something a little more robust. Perhaps an Intuos

 

[butternut]

I've been thinking of getting one too. When you can draw with a mouse almost like you could with a pen you know it's time to finally get a tablet

I've been thinking about the Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch tablet. It's something like 20 euros more than the Pen tablet but it has an eraser on the tip of the pen and it has more pressure levels, the Pen tablet has 512 and Pen & touch has 1024 I think, not sure if you can notice the difference really though. It also has some extra buttons on the sides while the pen tablet has none.

I used to have the Aiptek Media Tablet 14000U some years ago, which was pretty big and worked pretty good, but it broke after like a week for me, when you tried drawing a straight line in the center of it the line would get all distorted. I had an insurance for it but didn't really bother and just left it in the closet and dunno where it is now lol.

Wacom is also releasing Inkling pretty soon I think, it will be something like 200 dollars and it looks pretty neat

Thanks a lot for the input I think I may just go for a Wacom Bamboo, seeing as it's just for hobby purposes.

Although I do have one, potentially silly worry about a Pen and Touch tablet: you know how when you're drawing or writing, you need to rest the side of your hand on the paper? With a tablet that responds to touch, wouldn't that mess up the drawing?

I got a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch for similar reasons to you about a month ago and I can proudly say that I do not regret the decision at all. In response to your question, no you don't need your hand a on a piece of paper. The tablet responds to the pen first and touch second. The touch can also be turned on and off using one of the buttons on the side of the tablet.

 

[shadow_Fox81]

i wouldn't recomend getting one unless its for coloured images. traditionally i work with watercolours but my tablet (wacom bamboo small cheap one easy to use and durable) i use more and more often as paying for art spectrm watercolours is very expensive for a student. so if its a cost thing its a good investment, still tablets struggle in range by comparison to traditional mediums (especially on adobe programs).

i hear Correll (is that how its spelt) painter makes a tablet more flexible but i can't afford it.

but if your heavy into ink i wouldn't recomend buying one unless you can spare it. i am primarily an ink drawer and nothing beats a good german made fountain pen(80$ australian)and a bottle of drafting ink.

i would highly advise against a laptop tablet hybrid though.

but you really didn't specify for what purpose you needed a tablet so its hard to give advice

 

[CFriis87]

I'd recommend the Wacom for several reasons.

Wacom is pretty much the industry standard for graphics tablets. I don't know of any professional digital artists that use tablets that aren't from Wacom.

They're simple to use, durable and highly accurate.

If I'm not mistaken you get a free version of ArtRage with it, which is a pretty damned nifty little piece of software.

I'm personally extremely happy with my own Bamboo.

 

[CFriis87]

i wouldn't recomend getting one unless its for coloured images. traditionally i work with watercolours but my tablet (wacom bamboo small cheap one easy to use and durable) i use more and more often as paying for art spectrm watercolours is very expensive for a student. so if its a cost thing its a good investment, still tablets struggle in range by comparison to traditional mediums (especially on adobe programs).

i hear Correll (is that how its spelt) painter makes a tablet more flexible but i can't afford it.

but if your heavy into ink i wouldn't recomend buying one unless you can spare it. i am primarily an ink drawer and nothing beats a good german made fountain pen(80$ australian)and a bottle of drafting ink.

i would highly advise against a laptop tablet hybrid though.

but you really didn't specify for what purpose you needed a tablet so its hard to give advice

Check out ArtRage, it's a much cheaper alternative to Painter, it might just be what you're looking for.

 

[Shadu]

I know very little about the other brand, but Wacom is a known brand. They pioneered the tablet industry really. I had a Wacom Graphire for six years before it died, and that was six years of extensive use.

To put this in perspective, it was the equivilant of the Bamboo back then.

When it came time to get a new tablet, I didn't even think twice. I got myself another Wacom (an Intuous this time since I am looking to go professional at some point). My roommate has a Bamboo and it is just perfect for her, and she's not looking to go professional. The Bamboo is just a great little tablet, and Wacom is the best brand there is.

 

[shadow_Fox81]

Check out ArtRage, it's a much cheaper alternative to Painter, it might just be what you're looking for.[/quote]

that does look like a good investment.

(but ill cling to my fountain pen till death do us part)

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

I got a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch for similar reasons to you about a month ago and I can proudly say that I do not regret the decision at all. In response to your question, no you don't need your hand a on a piece of paper. The tablet responds to the pen first and touch second. The touch can also be turned on and off using one of the buttons on the side of the tablet.

Fantastic, this is just what I was hoping to hear. Thank you, I think I'll definitely look at getting the Pen and Touch. It's good to hear some testimony from actual users, again, thank you

but you really didn't specify for what purpose you needed a tablet so its hard to give advice

What I'm basically looking for is a tablet that I can just kinda doodle or sketch with. I like to draw and upload some of my better sketches, but obviously that requires scanning or taking a picture of the drawing, something I can cut out if I just use a graphics tablet.

I'm personally extremely happy with my own Bamboo.

Again, it's fantastic to get some feedback from actual Bamboo users. A massive thank you to you

I know very little about the other brand, but Wacom is a known brand. They pioneered the tablet industry really. I had a Wacom Graphire for six years before it died, and that was six years of extensive use.

My search for recommendations has lead to me to think, like you said, that Wacom is pretty much the Coca Cola of graphic tablets. It's good to hear your roommate happily uses one too, thanks!

 

[StriderShinryu]

Yeah, Wacom does great stuff even on the low cost end of things. I use it on more of a hobby level than anything that requires constant or professional level use, but I've had one for years and I haven't regretted the purchase for a second.

 

[unoleian]

If you want a low-cost option, Bamboo is a good choice. However, I would strongly consider holding out and saving up for a tablet with a larger drawing area. 3x5 will work, but you'll find your line quality suffers if you map the tablet to your whole screen (tends to be a little shaky looking), and getting used to using a pen mouse-style (having to pick up the pen and move it back to the other side of the tablet again to continue a line) can be frustrating.

Hold out for an Intuos4 model from Wacom, and get a larger drawing area while you're at it, say an 8x10 size, or try shopping a used Intuos2 or Intuos3. You'll be glad you did.

 

[Erana]

I've had a few tablets before, and I've borrowed some nicer tablets from my alma mater a few years ago and got to try them out.

Honestly, I found these [http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10841] to be decent tablets. They're not quite as great as, say, a Wacom, but the difference in the experience wasn't that significant, and they're dirt cheap.
I've been using one of these tablets for a year now, though I don't do too much digital art, its not failed me.

Honestly, I'd say that you should definitely pick one up. You can get one of those tablets for $30, and if you don't like it as much, the worst that's happened is that you have a backup, or could pawn if off on another student and recoup your loss.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

If you're not a professional, I would actually recommend an iPad or something similar. I have an iPad with an app called sketchbook and I've drawn some pretty sweet pictures on it. Yes it's more expensive than a straight up GT, but it also has hella more uses too.

sorry, but no. its way too expensive and you'd have to buy a separate stylus to draw without a finger.
OT: Wacom Bamboo! i have one and i love it. its cheap (got mine for £40 from amazon), effective and the pen is the size as an actual pen, so theres no problem.

3x5 will work, but you'll find your line quality suffers if you map the tablet to your whole screen (tends to be a little shaky looking), and getting used to using a pen mouse-style (having to pick up the pen and move it back to the other side of the tablet again to continue a line) can be frustrating./quote]
i'll agree here though. its a bit of a ***** to have to adjust the pen after a while, but i dont use the mouse: you keep the end of the pen just above the surface. it is annoying though.

 

[UnknownGunslinger]

Dont do the same mistake I did at UNI, buy the Bamboo
What I'm talking about is that even thought the Odys has twice the Pen Pressure sensitivity of the Bamboo, it works on USB 1.5 - Which will make it sloooow...
I bought a cheap Trust tablet my 1st year at UNI, and the damn thing was so slow to respond it was damn near un-usable!
Don't buy it if it has 1.5 USB speed, I can't stress that enough!
I later bought the Bamboo, and there's a reason it's so popular - it's cheap and it's damn good for its price.
So get the Wacom is my advice.

 

[imnot]

Got this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wacom-Bamboo-Pen-Graphics-Tablet/dp/B002Q4U4AE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315170742&sr=8-1
A few months ago best £40 I spent ever

 

[Sun Flash]

Got this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wacom-Bamboo-Pen-Graphics-Tablet/dp/B002Q4U4AE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315170742&sr=8-1
A few months ago best £40 I spent ever

This is the one I got for christmas last year. Best. Purchase. Ever.

[sub]Y'know, tablet-wise[/sub]

It's truly awesome and just the right size for me. I had an A4 sized one before hand and it was just far too big for me, plus it was some cheapo brand I can't even remember and just all round awful.

So yeah, that link gets 5 stars and my own personal Booyah!

/teethsparkle