Advices for Drawing Tablet

[xpu100]

Hi to all using drawing tablet (graphics pad),
I'm planning to get a new tablet and I'm looking for advices and recommendations.
Has anyone had some experience with the new line of Wacom Intuos4 as I'm planning to try the Medium one?
Any advices, comments and recommendations on other models and brands are more than welcome.
Thanks

[jiaix]

my intuos4 L is less than 6 months old now and ....
1) the first thing you will do is follow these guides

Junkyard Sam's Blog: Wacom / Cintiq driver - manual adjustment of pen sensitivity!

this will help you keep your nibs MUCH longer. (before that it was a nib per month, and the textured coating on the tablet started to wear off (first it was like paper now it's more like skin - suits me more anyway :P) + hand strain. but now it's ok, and you really don't need that 2048 pressure levels)

2) those buttons and wheels are pretty useless - rig your ps to use shortcuts under left hand

3) get some black tape and stick the stupid wire behind the edge, so it won't get in the way of your mouse

4) watch for your nibs not to develop sharp edges (they have some silly hard coating which has cut some lines into the tablet surface. rather minuscule, but still)

5) size: depends ... do you move your whole arm when drawing? if so, then get a tablet as big as possible. it's good to have space for fast strokes. and on big screens it's much more comfortable.

i myself first got used with an old a5 wacom tablet (the blue one, sapphire i guess) and move the wrist mainly. which means that i rarely use the whole size.


so if you're under budget ... i would get an aftermarket intuos3 se a5 wide with the airbrush (and forget about battery powered alternatives)

cheers

[xpu100]

Thanks a lot jiaix,
I really didn't expect that detailed answer and advices! Thanks again.
It looks like most of your points are matching what I'm currently using which is the stupid Wacom Bamboo Fun Medium. I mean it's all right if you use it instead of mouse but it's hell if I have to sketch.
That link you'd posted is also really useful.
And now you made me think if I really need the newer but smaller Intuos4 or the previous aftermarket but bigger in size 3th series.

I'll also appreciate anybody else's opinion on this.

[tsmith]

I can't offer advice but I am glad you made this topic as I will be snagging a Wacom soon since my sketching skills have been growing and I am browsing the market.

[Digital_Rescue]

size: Remember to match your monitor.
Buy wide if you have wide screen.

A4 is to big. People says that is too much and thay are getting tired quickly.
I have A6 and it is good but if feel it could be a little bigger sometimes. But not bigger than A5, serously. A4 you can use if you have tablet with screen you can draw on. and we talking about 1500$+ here. But even proffessionals from Top studios work on tablets without screens.
A5 is totaly optimal even for proffesional useage.

There is only two brands i know they are good in this size:
Wacom intuoso 5 and Pentagram Virtuoso (video test of second one -http://vimeo.com/2826397)
Virtuoso is much cheaper and has all abillities of wacom. but only Virtuoso model, rest of pentagrams needs batteries and has no full abilieties of wacom pen.Virtuoso is harder to get.
Wacom is well known. It is good but costs about 200$ more

Buttons can help you sometimes. wanna change brush quickly or quickly zoom in , zoom out not useing kebord shortcuts. They definetly speed up creation process if you custom them properly.

I hope i will help someone with this.

[tsmith]

very good info, thank you!