[RnB180]

Im looking for a decently priced WACOM tablet, I think edwood is probably the only member I know here that uses it,

but can anyone explain the differences between the graphire 3 and graphire 4

and the differences between the WACOM intuos?

 

[patman657]

I have an Intuos2. The main difference between the Graphire and the Intuos is that the Graphire only has 512 levels of sensitivity whereas the Intuos has 1024. This means that the Intuos is much more sensitive to how hard you press down on the pen and will emulate the experience of working with physical media better. The Intuos is also more solidly constructed. I think the numbers after the brand name just indicate which generation they are.

EDIT: Also, the mouse and the pen that come with the Intuos are superior to those that come with the Graphire.

 

[RnB180]

Yea I was looking into the graphire 4 because of the new pen design.

I am also contemplating the intuos 3.

But at $300 Im going to have to wait.

That is too much for me to afford at the moment.

 

[RnB180]

how good is the mouse on the intuos? Im already using a razer mouse. Not sure if the intuos can come close to the razer.

 

[Edwood]

Go for the Intuos. I haven't played with the Grapphire 4, but I hated the Grapphire 3. The overlay was too soft, and gave way when pressing hard.

The Intuos is far more solid.

And with the latest Intuos 3, the pressure sensitivity is higher, at 1024 levels of pressure. And the resolution is higher. If you do anything other than photo retouching or graphics logos, you will appreciate the extra levels of pressure.

If you are looking more for a budget, look for an Intuos 2 on eBay, but stay away from the original Intuos if you use a CRT monitor, they get some nasty interference from them, making the cursor shake like crazy if you get too close to the monitor.

Basically comes down to your budget. If you can, I'd say 6x8 tablet should be the smallest you should get. 6x8 is a great size to start with, the 4x5's are just too small, even if you are working with a tiny 15" monitor.

Of course, I been using Cintiq's for years now, so I really can't go back to a standard tablet, but uh...yeah, it's a bit more spendy....

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 how good is the mouse on the intuos? Im already using a razer mouse. Not sure if the intuos can come close to the razer.

The mice on Intuos' are meant more for CAD work. Not ideal for gaming. For one, when you lift the mouse more than 1" off the surface of the tablet, it loses power and communications with the tablet, so if you are one that like to "skate" with your mouse, definitely not ideal.

Don't throw out your mice, you'll still need them for gaming and surfing perhaps.

FWIW, I tried gaming with my old Intuos before, and LOL, it didn't work at all. Playing a FPS, just kept spinning and spinning when I placed the pen on the tablet.

-Ed

 

[patman657]

The Intuos mouse will best any conventional mouse for precision because it utilizes the same technology contained in the pen. Of course, this means you can only use it on the tablet. But I don't know how much real-world improvement you will see over your Razer.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by patman657 I have an Intuos2. The main difference between the Graphire and the Intuos is that the Graphire only has 512 levels of sensitivity whereas the Intuos has 1024. This means that the Intuos is much more sensitive to how hard you press down on the pen and will emulate the experience of working with physical media better. The Intuos is also more solidly constructed. I think the numbers after the brand name just indicate which generation they are. EDIT: Also, the mouse and the pen that come with the Intuos are superior to those that come with the Graphire.

Pressure sensitivity is the same between the Intuos 2 and Intuos 3. (1024 levels)

But the resolution is different. Intuos 3 has twice the resolution at 5,080 dpi vs. 2540 dpi of the Intuos 2.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by patman657 The Intuos mouse will best any conventional mouse for precision because it utilizes the same technology contained in the pen. Of course, this means you can only use it on the tablet. But I don't know how much real-world improvement you will see over your Razer.

Yes, at 5,080 dpi, the Intuos 3 absolutely crushes the Razor Copperhead's 2000 dpi resolution.

BUT.

There is useability and ergonomics. As I stated before, the Intuos mouse makes for a poor gaming mouse if you "skate" with your mouse, since if you lift the mouse more than 1" off the surface of the tablet, it will lose communications with the tablet since it is powered by magnetic induction through the tablet itself.

Unmatched for precision CAD work, but not a good choice for gaming for many people. But if you get an Intuos with a mouse, try it for fun. You might actually like it. Or not, but either way you have the best (and pretty much only) input device for digital artwork.

-Ed

 

[RnB180]

resolution is important for fine drawing and editing.

so I guess its the intuos 3 for me.

i need a small one, I will be using it with my laptop so it needs to be able to travel. Im never home really and do most PC work on the go.

I might have to settle for the 4x5

any differences between the widescreen pads and standard pads?

my laptop is widescreen.
it doesnt through proportions all screwey does it?

 

[beerguy0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 resolution is important for fine drawing and editing. so I guess its the intuos 3 for me. i need a small one, I will be using it with my laptop so it needs to be able to travel. Im never home really and do most PC work on the go. I might have to settle for the 4x5 any differences between the widescreen pads and standard pads? my laptop is widescreen. it doesnt through proportions all screwey does it?

I use a 6x8 Intuos 3, and I like it a lot. Greatest thing since sliced bread for Photoshop.

The 4x5 Intuous should be fine for a laptop. I'm using my 6x8 with dual monitors, and it maps to both screens with no issues that I can see. I think the widescreen version is made for dual monitor setups. There is no 4x5 equivalent to the wide version anyway. (The 6x8 tablet is 10" x 13.5" overall, so it takes a fair amount of space.)

The larger tablets are mostly for graphic artists, who actually draw and need the room to work. Most photo stuff can be done with the smaller tablets. If you actually draw, you may need the larger size. I use mine for PS, but wanted the larger saize for dual monitors. The wide version didn't exist when I bought mine.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 resolution is important for fine drawing and editing. so I guess its the intuos 3 for me. i need a small one, I will be using it with my laptop so it needs to be able to travel. Im never home really and do most PC work on the go. I might have to settle for the 4x5 any differences between the widescreen pads and standard pads? my laptop is widescreen. it doesnt through proportions all screwey does it?

Yes, the widescreen tablets are 16:9, and the standard tablets are 4:3.

You can always remap which more or less "letterboxes" so that you are "missing" an area of your tablet that is not useable, but will keep the aspect ratio correct. So if you going to be using the tablet with your widescreen laptop most of the time, then get a widescreen one.

4x5 is definitely going to be too small if you are going to be using it for drawing. Perfectly fine for image manipulation or photo retouching, but not artwork from scratch.

Another option (definitely more expensive) is to look into getting a Tablet PC. The resolution is definitely inferior to Intuos 3 sensor, but there is that convenience and ease of use of drawing directly on the screen.

-Ed

 

[D-EJ915]

They have widescreen ones now?! WHOA! Ah, not in graphire form, the intuos are still a bit pricey since I rarely use mine. Oh well

I just hooked it up to my laptop and now I remember why I like it so much, if only I had more desk area...or a hub, lol, I can't find my usb hub. I also like using the pen in mouse mode, I think it's really comfortable to use.

 

[bpm2000]

i have the smaller intuos2. Definitely would recommend the intuos over the graphire line (and yes as stated dont use the mouse (or pen

) for gaming, doesnt work). I kinda wish I went with the 6x8 instead but the 4x5 isnt so bad as you might think.

 

[Jeff Wong]

Definitely go with nothing less than an Intuos. The pressure sensitivity is worth it alone. 6x8 is a nice size - it doesn't take up terribly much desk real estate like the larger sizes, and the natural arc of your wrist will translate pretty well with the 6x8 proportion to your monitor. I've been tempted to spring for the Cintiq, but would prefer to experiment with one for an extended period before committing that much dough on a tablet.