# What features should I look for in a Wacom Tablet?



## jwbryson1 (Aug 7, 2013)

I am thinking of buying a tablet to use with PS but the prices vary from very affordable (under $70 for some of the Bamboo units) to mid $350+ range and up from there for the high end stuff that KmH likes to use.  I don't need to spend $3,500 on one of those.  I'm not sure which price point is a good "entry point" for this type of hardware.

I know nothing about these, so I thought I'd ask the experts....

What drives the price?  Can you "outgrow" a low end one?

Looking for any any comments.  Thanks for reading.


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## tecboy (Aug 7, 2013)

Try out the product finder and find one that suit your need.     Product Finder | Wacom


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## Trever1t (Aug 7, 2013)

I have the Intious 5 touch...I mighta spelled that wrong but I use the thing constantly. Takes some getting used to but once you do it's very nice. ~$350


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## kathyt (Aug 7, 2013)

This is what I would go for. I am looking into one as well. The large one is super huge. This is the medium size. I called my second shooter first and she said this one has been the best one she has used by far. 
Wacom Intuos5 Medium Pen & Touch TabletPTH650 B&H Photo


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## Trever1t (Aug 7, 2013)

That's the one I have..medium is big.


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## jwbryson1 (Aug 7, 2013)

Trever1t said:


> That's the one I have..medium is big.




That's what she said...:mrgreen:


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## kathyt (Aug 7, 2013)

Maybe you can find a used one for a better price? Amazon?


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## tecboy (Aug 7, 2013)

I have intuous3 for a very long time, and it still working good.


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## Big Mike (Aug 8, 2013)

Size is probably the main issue IMO.  Bigger is better, but do you have space for it on your work desk, so that you can use it in a comfortable position.  No point getting a big one, if you don't use it because it's not comfortable.  

I have the smallest Bamboo and because I have a corner desk with a hutch on the right side, I barely have any space for it.


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## kathyt (Aug 8, 2013)

They have them at Best Buy. Go look at them to see how big they really are. Mike is right, if your desk is small the large would be hard to fit.


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## jwbryson1 (Aug 8, 2013)

kathythorson said:


> They have them at Best Buy. Go look at them to see how big they really are. Mike is right, if your desk is small the large would be hard to fit.




Kat, I read that the medium is really a good size to use because of how big the large one really is...


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## 12sndsgood (Aug 8, 2013)

Yeah your hand is moving all over that board, so a large board means your hand is doing a lot more moving. I got the medium and find it fits good. I was worried about the small one just being a bit to small for detail work, so I went medium and love it.  I don't use the features on it much, its the bamboo version. but I don't think id ever go back to using a mouse.


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## Big Mike (Aug 8, 2013)

The usual way that people have their tablet set up (I think) is so that the area of the tablet, represents the area of the screen (Absolute setting, I think)  This is great for larger tablets, but it didn't work at all for my smaller one, so I changed the setting to 'relative', just like a mouse.  Not as good for general computing and various tasks...but gives me more control for fine detail type stuff, which is really most of what I do with it.


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## ronlane (Aug 8, 2013)

Question, are there only certain models that will work with LR or will any of them? (JW, not intended to hi-jack your thread, but to enhance it with other wacom questions.)


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## jwbryson1 (Aug 8, 2013)

ronlane said:


> Question, are there only certain models that will work with LR or will any of them? (JW, not intended to hi-jack your thread, but to enhance it with other wacom questions.)



Not at all.  Good question, amigo!


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## Big Mike (Aug 8, 2013)

They should all work.  It's just an interface device like a mouse.  The difference is that it also has a pressure sensitivity which can be set to something like brush size, brush density etc.  Really, not any different that a gaming mouse with a bunch of buttons that can be configured.


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## kathyt (Aug 8, 2013)

Big Mike said:


> They should all work.  It's just an interface device like a mouse.  The difference is that it also has a pressure sensitivity which can be set to something like brush size, brush density etc.  Really, not any different that a gaming mouse with a bunch of buttons that can be configured.


They are supposed to be much better then using a mouse. I am probably going to have arthritis in my one hand. I know where that sentence is going to lead with Jdubs and runnah.


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## jwbryson1 (Aug 8, 2013)

kathythorson said:


> They are supposed to be much better then using a mouse. I am probably going to have arthritis in my one hand. I know where that sentence is going to lead with Jdubs and runnah.




Just remember:  JHubs (Good) :hug::   Runnah (Bad)  :mrgreen:


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## runnah (Aug 8, 2013)

kathythorson said:


> Big Mike said:
> 
> 
> > They should all work.  It's just an interface device like a mouse.  The difference is that it also has a pressure sensitivity which can be set to something like brush size, brush density etc.  Really, not any different that a gaming mouse with a bunch of buttons that can be configured.
> ...



You should do an ergonomic evaluation of your workspace. I did one and I've found that I feel way better.


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## jwbryson1 (Aug 8, 2013)

runnah said:


> kathythorson said:
> 
> 
> > Big Mike said:
> ...



No doubt that would help.


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## Big Mike (Aug 9, 2013)

kathythorson said:


> Big Mike said:
> 
> 
> > They should all work.  It's just an interface device like a mouse.  The difference is that it also has a pressure sensitivity which can be set to something like brush size, brush density etc.  Really, not any different that a gaming mouse with a bunch of buttons that can be configured.
> ...



In terms of sensitivity of movement, they are better than the old ball mouses (mice)...but a newer mouse can be pretty good as well.  I just got a new mouse for my day job (3D CAD design etc.).  It's a gaming mouse, with several customizable buttons and sensitivity control.  

I do know people who use their pen/tablet for everything...but I don't find that comfortable.  Maybe with a larger tablet and enough space to set it up with good ergonomics, it could be better.


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## Murray Bloom (Aug 17, 2013)

I use an Intuos 4 Large.  Yes, it's big, but when I used a smaller one, the scaling (ratio between the tablet and my 24" monitor) didn't feel right.  Moving to the larger tablet fixed that.


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## Murray Bloom (Aug 17, 2013)

Oops.  Duplicate post.


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## molested_cow (Aug 17, 2013)

Had an Intuos 3 a while back, never got a hang of it. Then we had the 21" Cintiq which I thought I'd be using more often since it's more direct. Nope, never really used it for what it was work. Mouse and keyboard work better for me.


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## MiFleur (Aug 17, 2013)

I have a bamboo, I am not a professionnal, but I use it to make color adjustments in camera raw, and to cut around objects in photoshop.  the buttons on the left side are customizable, the tablet is pressure sensitive and does everything I need. I have the bigger bamboo, and work with 2 screens on my computer, I have no problems whatsoever with it!  As I did not work with any other models, I cannot compare, but it is efficient and not too expensive.


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## jwbryson1 (Aug 30, 2013)

So would everybody agree that for an amateur who uses PS just for fun and who is not making a living from photography, that the medium sized Bamboo would suffice, and the Intous 5 model may be more than I need at this point?


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