Looking for graphic tablet advice

Hello all, looking for advice on a graphic pen and tablet. I am just learning photoshop and I really dont have a lot of money to spend so I will be watching ebay, amazon and craigslist. Just looking for advice on a simple and relatively inexpensive unit to learn on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Wacom is surely the best out there. They have different qualities and sizes. The smaller, the least expensive it gets.

I was going to suggest either a used Intuos 2 (I have that one and the drivers still work with OS X 10.4.10 Tiger) or a brand new Graphire (now only Bluetooth - if you could find a used USB model, would be cheaper) but I see Wacom has a new entry level tablet called the Bamboo.

Don't know how this one would work, if it's so stripped down you loose too many features to use it as a decent designing tool or not.

I would second MacHeadCase's recommendation on the Wacom. They are the industry standard when it comes to graphics tablets, and they come in a variety of models from entry level (Bamboo/Graphire) to professional. I have an Intuos3, and I love it. Check out their website for more info.

Sean

I have a Wacom Graphire 4 USB which works quite well in Leopard with the new beta driver on Wacom's site. Tablet is definitely the way to go for graphics work. I'm starting to experiment with it to do vodcasts now.

Hello and thanks to all who answered my thread, I finally went with a wacom Bamboo. I am a disabled vet and dont have a lot of money to throw around but was able to afford the low end wacom. Thanks to all for your advice.

I have the Intuos3 and its awesome, I highly recommend going with Wacom products.

The Bamboo will suit you quite well in the beginning. It will get you used to using a tablet instead of a mouse. It's a must have for Photoshop, IMO.

When you get the money, you'll want to step up to their professional intuos line. There is quite a difference in performance and functionality.

I have the intuos3 6x8 and it exceeds all of my needs. I don't feel the need for for anything larger.

Go for the bamboo. I just bought one myself. I have been using photoshop for about 5 years, and just recently started using a tablet. LEt me tell you so much different. I actually became frustrated with it the other day while working on some projects and dropped it in favor of my old fashion mouse just to get the projects finished. So start small to get used to it and then upgrade.

Quick question about the Bamboo Fun tablets - Do they not have the little overlay that you can slide photos/drawings under to help with tracing them? I can't find an answer online one way or another, but it doesn't look like it does. Anyone using their Bamboo to trace drawings or photos?

I'm considering purchasing a tablet and I probably don't really need the high end Intuos tablet, but I do want to be able to trace some photos, etc. Perhaps I should pick up a Graphire3 or 4, as I know they are still available (for now).

Any opinions?

From the images on the Wacom website, it doesn't seem to have that overlay thingy. But I would think a thin sheet of paper, like tracing paper for instance, should work?

Looks like the Graphire BT does, though. Your best bet would be to go a store and look them over.

digitalscrap said:

Quick question about the Bamboo Fun tablets - Do they not have the little overlay that you can slide photos/drawings under to help with tracing them? I can't find an answer online one way or another, but it doesn't look like it does. Anyone using their Bamboo to trace drawings or photos?

Click to expand...

On the Bamboo Fun there are No overlays like the Graphire tablets. I just bought one myself. Yes, you could trace on top of them too.