TIGSource Forums

Hey everyone,

I recently got into art, before i was just a designer and trying to learn some programming. I want to purchase a tablet but im very sure what exactly i should get.

Also, im sorry if this is the wrong section, but i figured art....so why not :)

Anyways, i was looking into buying one of these..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9235188&st=tablet&lp=5&type=product&cp=1&id=1218064393475

ive done some research and from what i have seen, Wacom makes the best. But i was curious if general tablet pc's. Such as,

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Usage&v1=Business&series_name=tx2z_series

EDIT: Is there any sort of "tablet PC" that is suitable for what i want? HP's dont seem to be exactly it, but thats the closest thing i can find.

which may be a better choice. I'm assuming however, that the PC's dont have the same sensitivity. making the normal tablet a better choice. Am i correct here?

What do you all recommend. Im willing to dish out extra cash to get a better product, as i normally will save, buy something nice and not re buy things later ;).

Any other general tips, would also be greatly appreciated. Whether about drawing, art, tablet use and care, experiences, or anything you think could help.

thanks.
Viper  :gentleman:

Go with Wacom.  They also produce the tech used in tablet PCs, but I think its better to get the smallest Wacom Cintiq and a decent laptop instead.  tablet PCs have cooling issues, the technology used, while functional, hasn't changed since 1996, the computer hardware is usually geared towards note taking during class rather than running Photoshop and Corel Painter, and it's cheaper to upgrade a laptop that you connect a Cintiq to than it is to upgrade a tablet pc with another tablet pc.

If you've just started art, and not sure how far you want to go with it, I'd suggest the larger of the Wacom Bamboo tablets.  The smaller tablets of all their lines are just too small to be useful.

I have an HP TX2020 tablet-pc and I'm very happy with it. Frankly it's the best buy I've ever made :D I haven't noticed any problem with sensitivity. It's actually a wacom built into it which makes it feel very qualitative. There is one minus though. The screen is very thick (probably cause of the touchsreen that is also built in) so depending on which angle you look at the spot you are drawing on, the pencil tip gets offset from the actual pixel it's on.

Keep in mind that I'm not an expert on these things so I may not detect errors very well. This tablet-pc is the cheapest on the market and is probably aimed towards entertainment rather than drawing and such.

thanks guys,

im definitely liking the Cintiq WX. But it seems to be an older product, and i would be worried that as soon as i buy it, the new Cintiq would come out xD. Especially at just under 1000 bucks. However, thats still cheaper then the laptop, if i were to buy one (i already own a laptop and a desktop, so its a waste for me to really get it).

anyone have any experience with the Cintiq WX?

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Cintiq-12WX-12-Inch-Display/dp/B00115OFJK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249688453&sr=8-1

A friend at school had one, and he said he prefers it over the tablet PC he used to have.  I can't afford one yet, and with the Intuos 4 out, I figure the next version of Cintiqs can't be far that off (I'm guessing mid 2010 at the latest).

I don't know about the smaller model Cintiq, but I have the 21''UX and it is sublime.

I wouldn't be concerned about the cintiqs getting outdated, they are currently running the best technology available and Wacom has no reason to replace them with newer models as they have a very firm place in the professional industry as is.

I read somewhere that the large cintiq is good, but the small one isn't. The TX-2Z uses an N-Trig digitizer, and yes, it gets very hot. I like it, but I'm not a real artist.