What to look for in a tablet?

Candid Arts

So I'm looking at the Wacom ones and possibly a few others. Basically anything that bestbuy sells as I get employee discount.

So, what is something that you look for in a good photo editing tablet? I'm on a Mac, I use CS5 and LR3. Shoot Canon. I do both portraiture for my main business and more fine art nature stuff as well for me (and sell when I can). Can't spend A LOT of money, but hoping with my discount I can get a nicer one for a lesser price.

I've never used a tablet before and don't know anything about them. Just heard they make editing a lot easier... Well at least not as tedious? Or something.

Ok, enough banter... Ideas?

Thank you!

-Bryce

colourbox

What size of tablet? The bigger ones are more for CAD people and artists used to large arm movements, but they take up lots of space. Tablets are high resolution so it can be much smaller than the monitor and still give you pixel level control.

Basic tablets are fine for photography where all you need is some pressure sensitivity for dodging and burning and painting masks. That's the main thing...without a tablet, the only painting data your mouse can send is On and Off, while a tablet gives you pressure sensitivity for more control. As you move up in price, the tablets get more precise, have better inputs like scroll dials and programmable buttons, better build quality, and can sense stylus tilt angle and rotation which are mostly useful for fine-art digital painters who want a simulation of a brush with paint on it.

Wacoms are pretty much the standard. If you look at other brands, at least know why you don't need the Wacom feature set, and find out if you're going to have to buy batteries all the time...Wacom styluses never need batteries because they reflect a signal from the tablet.

ziggy53

I moved this to the Digital Darkroom Gear forum. There may be some folks here to help with the question. (... but "colourbox" gave a fairly complete answer. )

Candid Arts

Thank you for your input. I have narrowed it down to three different models.

The Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch

The Wacom Bamboo Fun

The Wacom Intuos4 Medium

I'm leaning more towards the Intuos4 depending on what I can get my discount for. Otherwise the Bamboo Fun.

Thoughts?

angevin1

Candid Arts wrote: »

Thank you for your input. I have narrowed it down to three different models.

The Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch

The Wacom Bamboo Fun

The Wacom Intuos4 Medium

I'm leaning more towards the Intuos4 depending on what I can get my discount for. Otherwise the Bamboo Fun.

Thoughts?

I have the pen and touch and can say it is easy to set up and use. The key is to use a program that allows it's proper use, as alluded to before, allowing pen pressure to be applied. I find that the most wonderful aspect of this device. I thought at first ( before the purchase) that this pen and touch would be too small...not at all..perfectly sized for me, and the things I typically do with it: erasing through layers, effectively and carefully!

Cheers,

BradfordBenn

Previously when I did CAD I did have the huge tablet that was at least 16 x 16 inches. I knew that my arm got tired when I was needing to digitize with it. So oo get an idea of tablet size that I would like before buying my Bamboo Fun, I put down a mouse pad that was the same size of the tablets I was considering to see if it was large enough. I kept using a smaller mouse pad until it wasn't large enough. I found that the Fun was large enough for my use based on how much movement I really needed to do. Might be a cheaper way to figure the size out.

Candid Arts

So do you think the upgrades you get with the slightly larger tablet size are worth the upgrade from the fun to the Intuos? The Intuos seems like a more "Professional" grade tablet, but I might be mistaken.