Help buying a pen tablet

[Viseroid]

My brother wants to buy a pen tablet so he can draw stuff on his computer. I have little to no knowledge of these things and was wondering if you could toss me a few good brands or entry level models. How much should he spend? After a quick inspection it seems they are priced at about 200 USD and above.
Thanks!

[shabutie]

I have a Small Bamboo-Fun.  Pretty good for a starting one (my first one)


Works well, priced at 100 americano  (And its on sale right now @ Amazon!)


I occasionally have some problems with the pen in photoshop (wont register it as a pen and not activate the pressure sensor) but that's the only problem I've had with it.

[erious]

Wacom is pretty much an industry standard - and I can recommend it from personal experience.
Important thing to keep in mind is size - smaller sizes make it harder to adjust for the difference between monitor size and the tablet's active area. So I'd really avoid something too small - it might be ok at first, but as you gain experience and use the tablet more, it might quickly become insufficient. Something sized like Wacom Intuos Medium would be probably good - but if you have the cash to spare, Large is much better - just to avoid having to upgrade in the future.
Also, if you want to save some money, getting the previous generation(Intuos 3), even used, is a good idea.
I know that there are some cheaper brands, and if your brother isn't serious about his art it might be a good idea to get one of those - but I don't have any experience with them, so I won't be able to help you there.

[fohfoh]

Wacom is the way to go if you go over a certain size.

Smaller size, Bamboo is the most cost effective. (But higher size, pay higher for wacom)

[iindigo]

If it isn't a Wacom tablet, you don't want it. Wacom is the only tablet producer that has fully pressure-sensitive tablets that make use of wireless, batteryless pens. Why? You can thank the US patent system.

Anyway, I've had a couple Wacom tablets through the years. I started out with the entry-level model of the time, a small-medium tablet known as the Graphire2. It was nice, but its drawing area was small and its pressure sensitivity wasn't the greatest. After a year and a half or two years of that, I got a temporary job as a graphics designer for a company and thus had a surplus of cash, allowing me to upgrade. I bought an Intuos3 9x12 tablet and have been using it ever since (about four or five years).

The tablet has held up extremely well. Despite my abuse, both the tablet and the pen work as well as the day I bought them and I can't imagine doing any serious graphics work without it.

So yeah, the smaller tablet will work and is definitely better than just a mouse, but if your brother is going into this with any degree of seriousness, tell him to get something bigger. He won't regret it.

[fohfoh]

If it isn't a Wacom tablet, you don't want it. Wacom is the only tablet producer that has fully pressure-sensitive tablets that make use of wireless, batteryless pens. Why? You can thank the US patent system.

Anyway, I've had a couple Wacom tablets through the years. I started out with the entry-level model of the time, a small-medium tablet known as the Graphire2. It was nice, but its drawing area was small and its pressure sensitivity wasn't the greatest. After a year and a half or two years of that, I got a temporary job as a graphics designer for a company and thus had a surplus of cash, allowing me to upgrade. I bought an Intuos3 9x12 tablet and have been using it ever since (about four or five years).

The tablet has held up extremely well. Despite my abuse, both the tablet and the pen work as well as the day I bought them and I can't imagine doing any serious graphics work without it.

So yeah, the smaller tablet will work and is definitely better than just a mouse, but if your brother is going into this with any degree of seriousness, tell him to get something bigger. He won't regret it.

My brother wants to buy a pen tablet so he can draw stuff on his computer. I have little to no knowledge of these things and was wondering if you could toss me a few good brands or entry level models. How much should he spend? After a quick inspection it seems they are priced at about 200 USD and above.
Thanks!

Based on what you said, I still stand by my statement.

If you're going to just screw around, there's really no point in a Wacom. The small ones are too small to do anything serious. You want usually the... 7 or 8 inch one + before it's worth the Wacom. Otherwise, for the price you're paying, buy a bamboo. Bamboo has a good price point for someone who just wants to toy around. For the price you pay (probably 80 bucks... you'd have to check) it's equivalent to about 75% of the price of a wacom about 2-3 sizes higher.

Seriously. IMO, even if you're just toying around... THERE IS NO POINT IN BUYING A 3-5" pen tablet of ANY brand. Get a decent sized one. If you want to cheap out, go Bamboo. Go high end, Wacom. But don't buy a small pen tablet.

Also, I really doubt you can really "abuse" any of these things. Smash it with a fist, drop 40lbs of textbooks on it... EVERY brand should be able to do this without much problem.

By the way, I tested both before when I was in HK. Wacom is damn nice. No doubt about it. But when it's twice the price of the Bamboo one (when the bamboo one was on sale), that niceness really isn't justified for the price point. Also, Bamboo is a damn good alternative. Both are decent, one is cheaper.

Sort of like an AMD vs Intel. Both will do what you want it to do. One is a "budget version" but it will still do everything you want it to do.

[shabutie]

*Looks at the bottom of my tablet and scratches head*


Bamboo is made by Wacom ^_^


Anyways, I stand by my recommendation posted above.

[fohfoh]

*Looks at the bottom of my tablet and scratches head*


Bamboo is made by Wacom ^_^


Anyways, I stand by my recommendation posted above.

Which is why I stuck with recommending those two brands.

[Viseroid]

Thanks again for the advice. My brother has always wanted one and will definitely use it for years if he gets one. Under that premise I figured a medium (~8"x5") should be fine.

Narrowed my recommendations to two:

Intuous 4 Medium-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823100052&cm_re=pen_tablet-_-23-100-052-_-Product

Bamboo Fun-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823100059&cm_re=pen_tablet-_-23-100-059-_-Product

Any thoughts?

[fohfoh]

Depends how long he'll use it and level. If just for fun here and there, I say bamboo. Why waste an extra 150 if you're going to just let it collect a lot of dust? If he's going hardcore and going to get into some deeper stuff later on... go wacom.

[Viseroid]

Alright, I'll ask him if he is gung-ho about the pen tablet thing or whether its just a new toy for him :P. Thanks again.

[kyanwan]

Wacom is the way to go if you go over a certain size.

Smaller size, Bamboo is the most cost effective. (But higher size, pay higher for wacom)

Bamboo is the new name for the Wacom Graphire series of consumer-end tablets.   They are good products, don't get me wrong - but they have limitations.   You're never going to be able to really "do" anything with them ( like - if you want to do graphics work or real photo editing - the Bamboo is limited - you'll hit the limitations as soon as you get skilled with your tablet. )

If you can get your hands on a cheap Intuos 3 - I'd grab that.   The bamboo line is ok - but you'll quickly grow out of it.   Getting a better product from the start will make you a happy person.   You'll have the room to grow, then when you move out of your "growing" phase - you'll have a product that you can really work with.

[ * I wouldn't go jumping to the $350 level just yet.   Set that price limit around the set budget and stick with it.   The Intuos 3 falls right in there, and is a step up from the bamboo. ]

[Viseroid]

What are the differences between an Intuos 3 and and an Intuos 4?