Reddit reviews Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet

For a pretty decent, and inexpensive tablet, I'd get this Wacom one.

Isn't that pen/tablet less than a hundred dollars? Mind you, I only work part-time, but it doesn't seem that expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL460-Bamboo-Pen-Tablet/dp/B002OOWC3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292544223&sr=8-1

Happy to help! :) I have the lightbox that I linked to -- the LightTracer II -- and it's still going strong after six years. They're really durable.

Edit: If your daughter's interested in drawing things directly in Gimp, rather than scanning them in -- the final image quality is so much higher if you draw them digitally -- you might try getting her the entry-level Wacom tablet, the Bamboo Pen. It's on sale at Amazon for $50 right now, which is an unbeatable deal. :)

I have the Bamboo $59.99 and it works great. I would recommend that you get the cheapest one. That way if you lose interest you aren't regretting the purchase. If you love it and use it a lot you can easily upgrade to a medium intous that has a larger effective area and has programmable buttons to speed up your work.

https://brizoma.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/bamboo_pen_ctl460.jpg

^this model.

specs from amazon

I don't know how much shipping is going to be for this. From amazon they estimate shipping to be 5-7. Which is almost half of what you're offering.

As suggested, Wacom. Only Wacom. Genius tablets might "work" but from personal experience (and among my class of graphic designers) the tablets eventually die one way or another. Since you're looking for "cheap", Bamboo Pen is your main option here. Amazon has 'em for $56 atm: http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL460-Bamboo-Pen-Tablet/dp/B002OOWC3I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1311693676&sr=8-5

Sometimes you can grab a sale for lower (I think I got mine under $50 with shipping) or you can always search for a used one on Craigslist, Wacom's are very durable, even dropping my pen various times my old Graphire3 still works.

Wacom Bamboo Tab

Others have given advice, but I might as well chime in.

The Bamboo is a great little starter pad to play with. I wouldn't reccommend it as a real graphic design tool, but it really is a functional little pad that can get the job done and has some fun extra functionality with gestures and what not. The Bamboo is NOT specifically a graphics tablet though. It can function as one, but it is also touch sensitive and most graphics tablets are not reactive to anything but a pen or a conductive mouse created for the tablet surface. But it does have the same technology as an Intuos tablet, which is amazing tech, so it's very capable.

You can get a Wacom Graphire for around the same price as a bamboo, (I owned one of these for a couple year) and it is made for this kind of thing. It is a decent little tablet, and would be alright for a hobbyist or a beginner, but i'd skip it. But it isn't as advanced as the next type of tablet...

which is an Intuos3 and Intuos4. Here is where I would start. I would actually skip the intuos3 simply because the intuos4 is basically an industry standard now. It's tech is updated often and it is simply a fantastic tablet. The intuos 4 is what most people end up with. There are small, medium, and large versions. The size you get is a personal preferance. It also comes down to desk real estate. Not a lot of desks have a huge chuck of space for a large intuos. The medium is a great compromise of space vs. functionality. And actually, a lot of people prefer the slightly smaller ones to reduce having to move your arm/hand around as much reducing fatigue. Also the price is obviously better for a medium sized one than a large one. There is also the wireless version, which is awesome since you can simply stow it away somewhere quick and easy. I would recommend a carrying case for it though to keep it safe. Even just a small laptop bag would be fine. But it's an investment you will want to keep safe.

Finally you have the amazing Cintiq line. The Cintiq 12WX and Cintiq 21UX and I just learned about the silly Cintiq 24HD.

I have a Cintiq 21UX and it has changed the way I work. It has sped up my workflow and made things so much easier and faster and accurate and simply amazing. (Note I didn't quite pay what they are asking for on Amazon but that's the same model). the cintiq's are expensive as hell, but it's an amazing investment if you are really going to take advantage of it.

Note however, that you can do everything on an intuos4 that you can do on a cintiq. The thing with the lesser tablets under the cintiq is you will have a real learning curve dealing with drawing on your desk/lap while looking at the screen. It's weird and takes time to get used to it. But there is AMAZING art done on them. As I said, they are industry standard and amazing pieces of tech.

So I recommend the Intuos4 Medium or the Intuos4 Wireless in the end.

Hope this helps a little. There are alternatives to Wacom, and some can get the job done, but I won't recommend them as in the end, you want a Wacom.

IMO, don't even consider anything other than a Wacom. For your price point, get a Bamboo and if you feel you need something bigger/better, sell it and upgrade to an Intuos. I have had an Intuos 3 for several years and love it. The new version is very slick but I don't really have a need to upgrade.

In regards to your specific points:

1. Photo editing is wonderful with a tablet. Both Photoshop and Lightroom are great with a tablet. Much faster and more natural than using a mouse.
   
2. If you want to pick up a fantastic painting / drawing program, check out Painter Essentials, which is a lite version of the full Painter. It really brings the tablet to life (very different than Photoshop's painting).
   
3. You can get a refurb Bamboo for under $50, but they aren't much more brand new.
   
4. There isn't much of a learning curve, though learning to use the hotkeys (Intuos only) will make you more productive. Windows 7 has some very good built-in tablet support.
   
5. This is where Wacom tablets shine - they tend to be more responsive than other tablets. They are the gold standard for good reason. You can also place a sheet of paper over the tablet to give it more texture; it will not affect the tracking/sensitivity.
   
6. I have a medium Intuos; it is a great size. I haven't found myself wishing it were bigger, but maybe I've just used it so much that I'm used to working with that size. I'm sure that I would love a larger tablet, but I think (especially for photo editing) you can get away with a smaller one. Depending on your style, a larger tablet is more important for sketching / painting.
   
   Edit: One final consideration - Intuos comes with a mouse - If you are considering using the tablet as a complete mouse replacement (I use mine in addition to my mouse), I would stay away from the 'small' tablets.
   

wacom bamboo is on sale at amazon for $60

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL460-Bamboo-Pen-Tablet/dp/B002OOWC3I/ref=pd_cp_e_2_map

I keep going back to the Wacom Tablet Pen.

sketching on a Tablet takes a lot of time to get use too, I mainly use it to outline.

You can take a photo or scan in your physical drawing / doodle and start to outline it really nice. The difference is that you need to make single sweeps to get the best type of lines.

Go with the medium bamboo. It's an excellent starting platform to get acquainted with digital drawing. it'll def take some getting used to not seeing exactly what your drawing with your hands, but rather at a screen above. One thing I'm a 'fan' of is actually what it lacks. With "only" 512 levels of pressure sensitivity and no detection of the angle of the pen, you'll break yourself in and really learn how to manipulate photoshop etc for your artistic means. Then, as your progress and want to drop some real dough on a nice intuous tablet, you'll be amazed at home smooth it is.

tldr: It's a great option, and will pave the way for more expensive replacements later if you find you do truly enjoy it.

Oh, and drop an extra 15 dollars for both the updated model, as well as a larger drawing area, it's def worth it...
http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL460-Bamboo-Pen-Tablet/dp/B002OOWC3I/ref=pd_ts_e_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

I do have and use a tablet, but as my work shows, I'm a bit shaky with it. It's a Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet if you're wondering.

Like this? It's black/grey.

I am using a tablet (wacom bamboo. I haven't really been too good with line weight so I generally just remove that feature, although I have started practicing with it more, also I'm using Photoshop cs6, could u recommend a brush for this kind of art?

Wacom Bamboo. About $50.

Here

Made with free programs and a trackpad

You don't need a graphics ablet to be a great digital artist. Sure, they're nice (oh so very nice), but they're not necessary for creating amazing works of art.

I'll agree with mylifeisaLIEEE down below:
> This is just a shit ton of arrows copy-pasted into a row.

If you're going to get angry about your work being stolen, you need to put some effort into the work.

Also, where in the world does a bamboo tablet cost $600? I got an Intuos 4s for $120, and bamboos are even cheaper

Is this what you're looking for?
http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL460-Bamboo-Pen-Tablet/dp/B002OOWC3I

looks like he's using a wacom bamboo tablet. I have a larger wacom intuos tablet, but only use when photoshopping stuff. I'm not comfortable with it enough to replace my logitech mouse, but I've heard of people using pen tablets full time

Not trying to hijack the post, but I could use some advice as well.

I current have a Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet (a couple of years ago).

I about the Bamboo Pen Tablet because it was really cheap and I wasn't sure if I would actually use it. I actually use it a bit and was quite happy with it. However as I've worked with it more, I feel that it might be time to upgrade.

Currently the main issue with the tablet is that it's pretty small. As the table mimics the screen, it makes it harder to do more precise drawings. Other than that it's perfectly functional.

In any case, I want to upgrade to a better and definitely bigger tablet without spending too much money (I am a poor college student after all). I don't want to spend over $200. What are some tablets I should be looking out for?

Right now I'm thinking about Bamboo Create Pen. However, I'm not sure if it's a significant enough upgrade or if I should just be looking to spend even more money for a better value.

What do you guys think? Should I just stick with my Bamboo Pen until I actually can spend money?

Sorry if this was inappropriate. I just didn't want to spam this subreddit with another self post of a similar subject..