Flash animating : Pen tablets

[koit]

I am thinking about moving on from mouse operation for flash and getting a tablet.

My question to all of you is this.....

Which one should I buy ? (I can shell out about £100 or less) which I suppose is around $180. What are your personal experiences of tablets and flash and will it improve my speed/skills ?

Thanks in advance.

[FlyingNinjaBannanas]

The Wacom Bamboo Fun would be your best choice.

But DON'T buy a genius tablet. It's cheap, and it shows.

[SirAlex]

At 8/5/11 12:55 PM, FlyingNinjaBannanas wrote: The Wacom Bamboo Fun would be your best choice.

But DON'T buy a genius tablet. It's cheap, and it shows.

Bamboo's are good but they do not have pressure sensitivity which is a huge feature I recommend you save up some more money and buy an intuous you can buy a small that costs $230. Trust me it's worth it.

[FlyingNinjaBannanas]

At 8/5/11 02:00 PM, Alex616 wrote:

At 8/5/11 12:55 PM, FlyingNinjaBannanas wrote: The Wacom Bamboo Fun would be your best choice.

But DON'T buy a genius tablet. It's cheap, and it shows.

Bamboo's are good but they do not have pressure sensitivity which is a huge feature I recommend you save up some more money and buy an intuous you can buy a small that costs $230. Trust me it's worth it.

Bamboo's do have presure sensitivity. And I wouldn't recommend the Intuo4. It has useless features and the pen tips wear out way to fast.

I think this old post a digital artist made would explain my point better.

Why not justify your comment there? I use a Bamboo right now, and I would hardly call it 'horrible'. I had more trouble with the two Intuos4s I owned than I have with my Bamboo Fun. It's a sad notion that many people have; but it's not true in any way. The only difference is lack of tilt functionality, which is for the most part useless anyway; and less pressure sensitivity. This is also not a problem, as it has a whole 1,024 levels of sensitivity, which is what the Intuos3 had (still considered the most superior of Wacom's devices). Doubling that number was a largely unnecessary marketing move on Wacom's part.

The Intuos4 has build quality issues, which is a major problem, especially considering their price. I owned two Intuos4s, as mentioned earlier, and both had an issue in which the pressure oscillated randomly when I'd draw a line. The problem was independent of my machine, too. I tested it on multiple computers with the same effect.

Too, all new devices by Wacom currently have a paper-like surface which, to the bare hand, seems very realistic. The problem is, it's more like sandpaper to the fragile plastic nibs on the pen. This means that they wear incredibly fast, and necessitate overpriced nib replacements. If you want to talk about the best option, then, it would be an Intuos3 9x12 or 6x8.

I've owned the 12x19 Intuos3, in case you mention size. It's too large for practical use unless you're a professional with a dedicated workspace. It's also impractical in that it requires very large sweeping motions, which can cause shoulder strain, and requires a skilled artist to master. I liked it, but in the end practicality won out.

My recommendation: get a Bamboo Fun. It's working area is plenty for someone whose recently started with digital art (and even those who are more experienced), and it's incredibly well-priced. It will be a great step-up from your current tablet, and you can even probably find one in your local Electronics store.

In the end, the tablet is just a tool. A skilled artist can get a cheap ballpoint pen and make amazing works; so why do you need the top-of-the-line digital device? People who buy the most expensive tool are usually just trying to fill in a large skill gap where practice and hard work should go instead. It doesn't work, either. Most times, the improvement in their art is almost indiscernible. Get a tablet that doesn't bug out on you. That's actually a hindrance. But any more than that is overkill until your skills grow.

[karazy-j]

me myself i use a waycom bamboo but i would animate more often if i had a fucking pen!
anyone have any idea on where to find a pen for it and just the pen ive looked all over and cant find one (pm me)

[SirAlex]

At 8/5/11 02:25 PM, karazy-j wrote: me myself i use a waycom bamboo but i would animate more often if i had a fucking pen!
anyone have any idea on where to find a pen for it and just the pen ive looked all over and cant find one (pm me)

I already Pm'ed you

[koit]

General consensus then, Wacom Bamboo !

Thanks guys.

[Damien]

All you pussies need to start drawing with a mouse.
I did this with a mouse. So suck it.

also, all the animations I did are done 80% with a mouse.

[fluffkomix]

At 8/7/11 04:53 PM, Damien wrote: All you pussies need to start drawing with a mouse.
I did this with a mouse. So suck it.

also, all the animations I did are done 80% with a mouse.

usually a lot easier with a tablet though.

If you're just testing it out, i would recommend going for a small bamboo. Not a bamboo fun mind you, just the 80 dollar one that is small. It's a great way to test out whether or not you would want a tablet

[The-Scourge]

I use an intuos 4 now, I would never go back to mouse animating ever, if you even take animating or art a little bit seriously you will do yourself a favor and get a tablet.