# Buying a Tablet



## Monak (May 17, 2008)

I am going to be buying a tablet soon , falling in the catagory of little to no money I have decided to get a bamboo fun by wacom.  I just wanted to know if there was anyone who was using the bamboo and what they thought of it.  Any feedback would be a great help.  thank you so much.

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## Kittiara (May 17, 2008)

Unfortunately I don't know about that specific model, but Wacom is really reliable and awesome.  The bamboo fun looks reaaally cool, though... mine's old.


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## Monak (May 17, 2008)

Kittiara said:


> Unfortunately I don't know about that specific model, but Wacom is really reliable and awesome.  The bamboo fun looks reaaally cool, though... mine's old.



I know they are the leading company for commercial tablets , I just want to know what people think of it.  Thank you for your input.:grin:


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## RandomLizzie (May 18, 2008)

I have a wacom bamboo one (not as good as a bamboo fun) but wacom are really good!


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## Kierstal (May 19, 2008)

I have a Wacom graphire, and it's served me well for over two years. They're pretty good to start out with if you're new to digital color, but if you're serious about it you should look at investing in a Wacom Intuos. The Bamboos look nice, but they don't have a lot of the features that the Intuos does (said features are nice to have, but not necessary and the Bamboo Fun is probably the new Graphire 4 in terms of being for people who use tablets casually.


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## princessbunny99 (May 19, 2008)

I've got the Bamboo Fun, in the larger size and while it is pretty affordable, it's really not for the serious artist. The nibs on the pens wear down very quickly, and I noticed that I'm already scratching the surface of the pad noticibly after only 2 or 3 months of use. 

For someone who really just likes to doodle around, not do anything too serious, go ahead and get it, but if you're trying to do this more professionally and consistently, get another one


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## Arshes Nei (May 19, 2008)

Bamboo fun is close to the old graphires. I do not believe it has tilt sensitivity. Also the programmable keys are not program specific like the intuos.

http://www.wacom.com/bambootablet/compare.cfm

That is a tablet comparison chart.

There is a sticky thread on Wacom Tablets in the Tutorials Forum.

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Intuos3...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1211238552&sr=8-4

This btw is the intuos3 for $199 for the 4x6 it may be smaller but it has more features (the Bamboo medium is the same price) and actually the 4x6 isn't that hard to manage though I prefer my 6x8 tablet.

Before the 4x5 tablets were going out for $150 not sure if you can find them hanging around on ebay.

Tech For less (but read the condition of the product) has deals on wacom tablets too: http://www.techforless.com (do a search for wascom).


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## Snickers (May 20, 2008)

I have a graphire...4 i think...white 8x6 inch tablet. It cost me 160 and i brought it over ebay. Good Value. Only go after wacom and try ebay first for cheap second or first hand deals.


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## Thorne (May 20, 2008)

People go on about tablet brands... meh.

I had a wacom some time ago, cost a bomb, and broke. Then I got my current one from ebay for Â£14, still going strong, and better than the old one imo, and it doesn't even have a brand name.


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## Jelly (May 20, 2008)

You might want to take a poke at Academic Superstore. Wacom usually has lower prices on renovated Intuos and new Bamboos for students.

Got a new Graphire4 at about 140, I think. About a year ago.


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## Arshes Nei (May 20, 2008)

Thorne said:


> People go on about tablet brands... meh.
> 
> I had a wacom some time ago, cost a bomb, and broke. Then I got my current one from ebay for Â£14, still going strong, and better than the old one imo, and it doesn't even have a brand name.



Because the wacom brand has the most stable drivers. I've seen people go nuts with their tablet drivers with specific programs.

I've had the least problems with Wacoms, and the fact it's one of the few tablets with a very high resolution and tilt sensitivity.


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## Kimmerset (May 20, 2008)

I've got a Bamboo Fun, which works fine for me, though I'm sure I can't really comprehend the technical differences of an Intuos other than the hot keys. 

My friend is thinking about getting a Cintiq 21ux, however.  Does anybody have experience with using one of those beasts?


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## Jelly (May 20, 2008)

Just a question, Kimmerset. What 'level' of art is your friend hoping to do?


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## Kimmerset (May 20, 2008)

Short answer: He wants to be a professional artist.


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## princessbunny99 (May 20, 2008)

Then I'd stick with not the Bamboo Fun


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## Ty Vulpine (May 20, 2008)

Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly are "tablets"?


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## Arshes Nei (May 20, 2008)

Kimmerset said:


> I've got a Bamboo Fun, which works fine for me, though I'm sure I can't really comprehend the technical differences of an Intuos other than the hot keys.
> 
> My friend is thinking about getting a Cintiq 21ux, however.  Does anybody have experience with using one of those beasts?



Tilt and Rotation sensitivity. This feature shows up a lot in a program like Painter. If you ever have done calligraphy traditionally you know how the change of angle in your pen will affect how the stroke works. This is the same on an intuos.

Intuos3 has the 6d art pen it's a more useful feature for me when inking in various programs like painter because I'm used to doing more thick to thin strokes.

http://www.wacom-asia.com/products/intuos3/spec/intuos3artpen.html

Tilt also affects how an airbrush would work, programs like Photoshop is affected by the tilt of your pen with the airbrush.

Those that aren't that intuitive with the tablets usually have the same kind of digital drawing style and won't take advantage of those features. I found that the rotation and tilt help a lot with pattern chalk in Painter too. Pattern Chalk will take any black and white pattern and place it using tilt and rotation.

http://androidjones.blogspot.com/ Android Jones is a person who frequently uses the pattern chalk, you can see how the graphics are tilted, which is all due to his pen.


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## Jelly (May 20, 2008)

TyVulpine said:


> Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly are "tablets"?



Digital drawing pads.

http://artofapogee.blogspot.com/2007/03/graphics-tablets-features-and.html


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## Ty Vulpine (May 20, 2008)

I see. Are they portable? Or do they have to be plugged into something?


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## Jelly (May 20, 2008)

All generally plug into a computer.

Either through USB or BlueTooth.

Tablet PCs have the tablet built into the monitor, and are laptops. On that level, I guess you could say portable tablet.

Cintiqs (a line of Wacom-brand tablets) that Kimmerset was mentioning before is a combination of a LCD widescreen monitor and a tablet. So you can draw directly on your canvas.


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## Ty Vulpine (May 20, 2008)

I see (sort of, I'm not a computer expert. Turning on, visiting sites and shutting down are about the limit of what I know to do. Anything else, I'm lost )


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## Kimmerset (May 20, 2008)

I want a laptop with bluetooth and a bluetooth tablet. That would be awesome. But seeing as I all ready have a tablet and need to make use of it as-is... I'll make do.


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## Ratte (May 21, 2008)

I've seen something like computer mice, but instead they're pens.  What are those?  Are they cheap?  Are they better than computer mice for digitals?


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## Arshes Nei (May 21, 2008)

Kimmerset said:


> I want a laptop with bluetooth and a bluetooth tablet. That would be awesome. But seeing as I all ready have a tablet and need to make use of it as-is... I'll make do.



Not that great to be honest, especially for the cost.


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## Verona (Jun 23, 2008)

I have the Bamboo of Wacom. For me it's lots better than Graphire. It's more like you draw on a paper than on the tablet. It's really better. Well that's my opinion.


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