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Best Wacom tablet for my needs?

G5Unit

G5Unit

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 3, 2005
2,107
10
I'm calling the cops
I have recently gotten very into drawing then scanning pictures into my computer. Now my question is, which tablet is best for what I want to do?

I want to:
-Draw over cartoon charactors I draw on paper
-Draw designs in photoshop
-Do sketch ups
-Math(like scratch paper)


Now the only problem is that I have a 24 in dell screen so I'm guessing I would need a pretty large tablet to work with? I am only 15, an even though I have the money to buy that 21 inch super screen from them, I am very cautious on how I spend my money.

Remeber this is just for fun and is a hobby, which tablet is the best bang for the buck?
 
There's no simple answer to that. A lot of it is personal preference. You might try buying a used graphire to see how you like it.

That said, the intuos line is supposed to be substantially better. A wide format tablet will match up to your monitor best. If you want to draw over paper, you'll probably want something bigger than 4x6. So, my vote would be for the 6x11, or maybe whatever the next size up is.
 
I'd go with Intuos because they have more sensitivity. A 6x8 size should be good enough for your needs!

Oops, I just read that you can afford the bigger one! You could go for 6x11 or 9x12, but I honestly think 6x8 is a fairly nice size. I don't think it matters what size your monitor is.
 
extraextra said:
I don't think it matters what size your monitor is.
Click to expand...

Actually, it matters a lot. If you have a widescreen monitor and a 4:3 tablet, then either your tablet will be distorted as it mirrors the monitor, or part of it will show up as dead space. That's why wacom came out with the wide tablets, to more accurately mirror a widescreen monitor.

Plus, bigger isn't always better on a tablet. It means that you have to make bigger movements to cover a specific area. If you're trying to draw at full paper size, this is great. But if you'd rather make smaller movements or "draw from your wrist" then a smaller tablet might prove more effective.
 
munckee said:
Actually, it matters a lot. If you have a widescreen monitor and a 4:3 tablet, then either your tablet will be distorted as it mirrors the monitor, or part of it will show up as dead space. That's why wacom came out with the wide tablets, to more accurately mirror a widescreen monitor.

Plus, bigger isn't always better on a tablet. It means that you have to make bigger movements to cover a specific area. If you're trying to draw at full paper size, this is great. But if you'd rather make smaller movements or "draw from your wrist" then a smaller tablet might prove more effective.
Click to expand...

Oh I meant in terms of size (like just because you have a huge monitor doesn't mean you need a huge tablet), but yeah widescreen vs not makes a difference. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
 
Buy a 6x8 Intius tablet I have one with a 23" monitor and works perfect. One thing you have to keep in mind, is the bigger the tablet, the more your arm has to move accross the tablet.
 
cre8design said:
Buy a 6x8 Intius tablet I have one with a 23" monitor and works perfect. One thing you have to keep in mind, is the bigger the tablet, the more your arm has to move accross the tablet.
Click to expand...

The 6x8 will leave a chunk of dead space at the bottom of the tablet, or it'll map out unevenly. I use one on a 20" monitor and I'm looking to replace it shortly with a 6x11.

At the very least, match the right format to the monitor.
 
munckee said:
The 6x8 will leave a chunk of dead space at the bottom of the tablet, or it'll map out unevenly. I use one on a 20" monitor and I'm looking to replace it shortly with a 6x11.

At the very least, match the right format to the monitor.
Click to expand...

You can adjust the aspect ratio in the Wacom preference to match you monitor. And beside the tablet adjsut to your monitor throught a series of set-up when you install it. But you still can't go wrong with a 6x11, your only talking about a 3" difference.
 
cre8design said:
You can adjust the aspect ratio in the Wacom preference to match you monitor. And beside the tablet adjsut to your monitor throught a series of set-up when you install it. But you still can't go wrong with a 6x11, your only talking about a 3" difference.
Click to expand...

I know. But doing so leaves two options basically:

Use the entire tablet which means that the mapping is scewed (have to move over less than up to cover the same diagonal distance) or map the widescreen onto the normal tablet, which leaves a chunk of dead space at the bottom. If you're going to do that, you might as well just buy a smaller widescreen tablet. They make a 4x6 Intuos now.

It's not the end of the world, but since he's buying new, he might as well get the correct one for his machine from the start. I got mine used just to see how I'd like it, so it wasn't a huge bother that it was the wrong ratio. Now that I know I like it, I'm planning to buy the correct one.
 
get what ever size that best fit's you, i just do not recommend a large 9x12.

The one suggestion I highly recommend is buy your tablet through wacom.com, you can try your tablet for 30 days, 100% money back guarentee if you don't like it.
 
go for the intuos 6x11. i'm not very good at drawing, but i use my intuos to alleviate wrist strain during lots of roto and composite work in shake. it also comes in handy when doing photo retouch. totally worth it. use pricegrabber and see what the lowest price you can find is. try to pick a reliable store.
 
My lil brother has a intuos 6x11 and its great. As for me I have a bluetooth 6x8 tablet. Its just preference but atlease go 6x8.
 
I think I am going to try the 30 day money back deal. But if I order from Academic Superstore then I get a large discount. Which would you choose?
 
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