Wacom INTUOS4 Medium 8X5 Graphics Tablet

Comment:
Compared to the other Wacom I owned, a Graphire, this one inspires confidence. I find it much easier to use. The dimensions closely match those of my screen (similar/same aspect ratios). Fairly well thought out industrial design, nice textures, reprogrammable buttons and touch wheel. 'Good' sensitivity.My work (pro 3D graphics) requires I own one, to learn Z Brush with. Thus I reluctantly purchased this. I do resent shelling out $375 after tax for this, but although there is sticker shock, there isn't the buyer's remorse. It's a well made product.

Comment:
After a year of procrastinating, I finally decided to upgrade from my Intuos3 6x8 to this model. So far I really love it!One of the major complaints I had regarding previous models is how much of a pain memorizing button functions was. The more programs one uses, the harder it becomes. Getting older doesn't help either, nor does a vitamin B12 deficiency lol.The OLED display works exactly as I expected, which is perfectly. They are clear and well lit. I really like the on-screen display that pops up as well, like when using the wheel. The wheel itself is designed much like the touch strips on the Intuos3, except they can be programmed to do more than before. I'm also very happy that Wacom decided to move all buttons to one side of the tablet. I always found the attempt to operate buttons with my pen hand a major interruption to my work flow.Unfortunately all is not quite perfect. I find the buttons to be annoyingly small. When the need to press two or three at the same time arises (which can be often in some programs), all I can say is good luck. They are also uneven and don't have any indicators that can be felt by touch, similar to the Intuos3 or the F key on a keyboard.Another nuisance was the placement of the USB socket. While it is nice one can easily replace their USB cord now, I find its location when on my lap highly annoying. They should have put a socket on both sides, so that it would always be in the top left no matter whether you're using the tablet right or left handed.As for the roughness of the surface, I can see why a lot of people have been complaining about quickly worn out nibs. Wacom claims they were trying to make it feel more paper-like (I certainly can't feel it). Personally I think they were looking for a way to increase profits, not unlike the thinking that went into some of the tricks printer manufacturers use to get people to buy ink more often, where the real profit lies. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid, but in this day and age I wouldn't put it past any corporation. Wear out the nibs fast and profit from selling the replacements that, traditionally, sat on shelves gathering dust. Sounds plausible, right? Hopefully the Intuos5 will be even better and prove me wrong...

Comment:
I hadn't used a tablet before this and it is harder than I expected, not so much like pen on paper. In my first attempts I felt like I had less control than with a mouse, even for making selections in Photoshop. With not much time to practice I have only improved modestly and it is all too easy to revert to the familiar mouse when I am in a hurry. The most difficult thing I find is setting the pen down in precisely the right spot; you move the cursor by moving the pen above the tablet and it must be lowered perfectly vertically to begin a stroke at that point. I guess that is where the Cintiq series provides an advantage with a direct visual connection between pen and target. Still, lots of people do very precise work with the Intuos tablets so I guess it is just a matter of practice, practice, practice.Part of my initial difficulty stemmed from using dual monitors. Restricting the tablet to one monitor doubles precision but then I need a separate mouse for the other monitor on my limited free desk space. Do be aware that the physical footprint of the 8"x5" tablet is about 15"x10" so if you also maintain a mouse and perhaps pen and paper as well you need a fair amount of space and it has to be well organized.As for the tablet itself, it exudes the quality that Wacom is known for. The outer packaging is perhaps a bit excessive and money spent on it might better have been directed to the one thing that seems cheap, the thin inner sleeve that protects the tablet, as a better sleeve could be useful for transporting the unit for portable use with a laptop. I had read complaints that the pen tip is loose compared to previous Intuos models but it seems very solid to me. The buttons and touch ring control are convenient, useful and well identified by the context sensitive displays. Everything seems well thought out by people who actually use these things and shows the refinement that comes with long production experience.If you want Photoshop Elements, the inclusion of the current version 8 (even though Wacom's website still says it is v.7) as a free download is good added value. A couple of other free software downloads are available but, unfortunately, not Corel Painter Essentials which does come with Wacom's cheaper Bamboo Fun which I was considering before I saw NCIX's great sale price on the Intuos4. However, with the Intuos you can get some great upgrade deals on pro level software; for example, a $99US upgrade from the included available free download of Corel Painter Sketch Pad (design software) to Corel Painter 11 which is a $400 program. This offer was being promoted before I ordered my tablet but was no longer listed on the site a couple of weeks later when I checked back after receiving my purchase; now I see it is back and I plan to take advantage.