Intous3 A4, need advice!

[Absorber]

Hi guys,

I'm a graphic-design student almost in my graduation year. After this education I want to go towards the GameArt-study.

So im practising and looking around a lot. Got my Wacom Bamboo A6 for 6 a 7 months now, and its fine.

But the Intous3 A4 has a huge price drop in the Netherlands! 46% Sale so now only €270.
But i'm doubting if its useful or me..
I know I need a bigger tablet for my next education (game art) but is A4 to big? Is it hard to work with this size?

SO: I need some advice and maybe you got some experience with this size tablet?

[cookepuss]

It may seem big at first, but only because you're used to the bamboo. The size is fairly manageable at only 9"x12". I had the larger size. THAT was too big. At a 46% price drop, likely motivated by the new Intuos4's release, I'd say that it's a definite steal. Granted, you'll need more desk space, but you'll have more canvas.

[Absorber]

Allright thanks for motivation :) Im getting closer to buying it, lol ;)

Anymore guys got some experience with the tablet to share with me? Because i'm afraid I cant test the tablet before I buy it with this price drop :(

[cookepuss]

I'm not sure that there's much more that anybody can tell you. You're already using a Wacom so you know that the quality and precision is rock solid. Driver support in all of the major apps is great too.

The only things left to know are:

1) What about the express keys?
2) Is it too big?
3) What's the pen like?

Unlike the Bamboo, which has its up top, the Intuos has its buttons on the sides. It may require a little adjustment on your part if you use these keys regularly. However, you'll get used to the side placement soon enough.

As for the size, it's not too hard to imagine. The drawing surface is just about an inch longer in each dimension than a sheet of paper. If you can draw comfortably there then you should have no problem drawing on the Intuos. There are a couple of inches extra on the outside of the drawing surface, but you're used to that already.

The only thing that might annoy you is storage. Larger tablets don't conveniently store well on a cluttered desk. You may have to store it under your keyboard, which is what a lot of people do. The cleaner your desk the better though.

How comfortable you are with the pen depends on the size of your hands. Some people feel that they're too thin or fragile. If you have large hands, I can understand that. If you've got smaller hands, it should feel perfect. Thicker than a disposable ball point pen, but thinner than a Sharpee marker.

The barrel switch is easy enough to get to, though I've found that I mostly stick to the tip & eraser. Some people complain that the tips wear out quickly, but that depends on how hard you press. I had a Wacom that lasted me for 7 years and I actually never had to change the nib once. Even if you did, replacement nibs are still cheap enough.

I've owned 4 different Wacom brand tablets over the years.

- I had the ArtZ-II 6"x8" which lasted me 7 years. Most durable tablet I ever had. I only retired it because it had a serial interface and Wacom stopped supporting those years ago.
- After, I got a Intuos 9"x12". Good tablet, although Wacom switched to slightly thinner plastics since the ArtZ days. On the upside, the tablet felt lighter. On the downside, it wasn't quite the tablet you'd want to drop.
- For large painting, I upgraded to a 12"x19". For landscapes or matte work, it was great. The canvas was massive and could accommodate large sweeping strokes. For everyday work, it was a little too big. I stopped using it when I accidentally dropped it and it smashed like a raw egg.
- Nowadays, I use a Cintiq 12wx. The surface is a smaller 10.3"x6.4", but it provides a nice sketchbook like feel to it. In some ways, I prefer it greatly to the larger one. I demoed the 21" but my hand got tired pretty quickly.

One more thing. If you're using a widescreen (16:9) monitor I'd suggest that you get a similarly shaped A4. I don't know how the standard maps to a wide monitor. There may be some mapping scheme, but I wouldn't hazard the guess.

[Mrpearlzildjian]

I have an Intuos3, and it's not as big as it seems, to me, it provides a perfect amount of workspace, and I use Dual Screens, so even going back and forth between screens provides plenty of room.

And I'm sorry, but.. that's just a steal. I'd go for it.

[Absorber]

Ok thanks guys! :) Especially cookepuss for that size of a comment :thumb:

by the way, mrpearl, I got two screens aswell but it suxs that the horizontal movement goes faster than the vertical because of the dualscreen. You got the same problem? Im working on a Mac and my tablet is my absolute screen(s).

Another thing, just to share. I borrowed a intous3 A5 for a few hours and i found the pen of the intous working less cool than my cheap-ass bamboo pen :P Because the intous clicks twice when I press one time :( (I allready changed the settings of the pentip) So it opens al my documents when I just want to select it :uhh: :lol:

[MyPeople]

you should try working with one before you buy it. the tablet i have at work is intuous 3 6x8 and i really like it. at home i have the 9x12 and i almost prefer this smaller size down. you should really try to test that size out, see if you're comfortable with it. my first tablet was the 19x21 whatever it was. your arm wants to fall off after 10 minutes of using that thing. gotta find a right size for ya is my advice.