Tablet Recommendations

Can anyone recommend a good tablet for bitmap and vector drawing (photoshop/flash)? I was looking at the Wacom Bamboo models since they seem to have good reviews, but I’d like to know if anyone has personal experience with some price conscious models.

I don’t need it for work, but I’d like to get back into drawing as a hobby – and a mouse just doesn’t cut it. (It doesn’t help that I’m right-handed on the mouse but my drawing hand is my left). Since its just a hobby, I dont need the greatest model with every feature and dont want to spend a fortune either, I just need something decent.

It doesn’t help that I’m right-handed on the mouse but my drawing hand is my left

Same here.

Also I don’t know what you mean by tablet for bitmap and vector drawing but I’ll say flash is good for drawing. What I like to do is draw i picture on paper then scan it to computer. Then import to flash and if you have a laptop and you can trace over it really good using a touch pad. Mouse works ok too though.sorry if this isn’t what you were looking for.

If price matters, I’d search for a Trust tablet, they’re fairly cheap and amazing value!

Otherwise, look at the Wacom Cintiq tablets on the Wacom site, they’re awesome! You can actually see your screen on it, so you can see very clearly where you’re drawing :)!

Anything that starts with a W and ends with “acom”. I saw my IT Media teacher use it and it’s pretty cool although he gets pretty angry if any of us touch it and messed up his tablet :P

TL, he wants to draw a picture from a tablet, not a scanned image like everybody that has been doing these days :P

Well if you want don`t anything complicated try the Trust tablet, but I use the mouse(Im used to it)

Also I don’t know what you mean by tablet for bitmap and vector drawing but I’ll say flash is good for drawing.

I’m a Flash developer by profession, so I know the program itself well. I’m all set in regards to programs, its the tablet that I need.

What I mean is, a tablet that works well drawing vectors (hard edges) but also works well in photoshop for airbrush style drawings using pressure sensitivity.

Wacom for the win.

Has anyone used one of the Wacom Bamboo models? (long shot I know)

my mom got a wacom tablet 4″×3″ and i use it often, even that size is decent for me, but i wish i had one that was the size of my screen, or at least the same aspect ratio.

After talking to my buddy Taylor (The Pillage the Village Artist) I decided to settle on the Bamboo Fun, so I picked it up the other day. So far its pretty cool, but I haven’t had a whole lot of time to test it.

Ooh, I think I know what a tablet is now(LOL). Looks cool. But still thats expensive, $89. Can you tell me all the things they do? Do they just draw?

You can use the stylus as a mouse alternative if you set it up correctly…but really, it just draws.

It’s a better alternative to the mouse. I draw really weird stuff with the stylus :D

But still thats expensive, $89.

No, thats actually really cheap.

Speak for yourself arcane. Your a rich flash developer :/. Anyways, I might buy one sometime soon. Do they come with any software?

For the piece of technology that it is (not considering anyones personal finances) it still is cheap. Most decent tablets run several hundred dollars.

It comes with bundled software, yes. I dont recall offhand what exactly, but the link I gave earlier should have that info.

At the time I was looking for a tablet I was also looking into the bamboo models. It would definitely seem wiser to get the fun model over the regular bamboo since it came with the software that I didn’t have, namely photoshop, which is wicked expensive. I had almost gotten the Fun model like Coder but instead went with an Intuos 3 9×12. I got it for about $400 dollars when there were cheaper intuos 3 tablets out there if I were willing to go with a smaller size. I’ll tell you that now I do regret getting such a large tablet. I’m sure I would probably be even more satisfied with a smaller one (nothing to do with it being cheaper but that is a good thing). I mostly use small strokes and the tablet is a bit bulky. I’ve was stuck with a friend’s Bamboo for a while and after I got used to it, I found the size a bit relieving actually. That’s just the size though, which I could have gotten with my Intuos if I had been smarter. On the negative side about the Bamboo experience, the sensitivity and pressure seemed a bit odd and the pen didn’t always go exactly where it should have (only slightly off though, probably not enough to bother someone if that’s what they are used to thinking is natural). But basically the short swap of tablets was like having mom cook you home-made meals every night and then moving out not having learned how to cook and trying a microwaved dinner. They’re alright but the quality of the former spoils you. I see you’ve already gotten your tablet but I would advise to anyone else not to get a larger one unless they use huge strokes to draw. You would think you would need all that space but when you can zoom in and out on the screen so much, size actually DOESN’T matter.

Funny, I really was worried about getting the small bamboo fun (even after after my coworker told me it wouldn’t matter) but I too was surprised that the size is fine so far.

the pen didn’t always go exactly where it should have

The cool thing is, the software is pretty flexible as far as configuring the screen-to-tablet mapping (at least IMO) so that could probably be adjusted.

Oh ya speaking of witch i need to install my moms tablet drivers on the laptop. Yay i was reminded! Ty.

AC. great choice, I got the bamboo fun for xmas, and i loves it so much :D

Bitmaps ftl D:

EDIT: oh and i made my avvy with it and the GIMP :D