Drawing Tablet question on speed

[Scotty]

Hi,
I was wondering (before I invest in one) 1) What do these tablets interface through USb2. or USB3 2) What is response time? I connected a USB microphone and the response time wasn't very good ( I was trying to learn doing tutorials with screen capture program) the voice and 'gestures were way out. So I was wondering if the drawing tablets were the same.
Jim

[masque]

I've been using a drawing tablet, (and there're USB 2) for some time. I'm on my third Wacom, the first being a non starter some years ago which gave a drawing experience akin to dragging a biro across a window. Then I acquired a bamboo which I thought was great but now I've moved to an Intuos.
There no lag I was aware of with any of them and the current one and previous bamboo were both excellent to draw with, and the movement of the pen is translated instantly.
If the possibility of a lag is your main concern they you can safely put that aside.
Derek

[handrawn]

I use a wacom all the time when drawing - no lag from the USB

with some programs there can be rendering lag because of memory issues, corel painter being one example, but this is not down to the tablet

[Scotty]

Hi,
thanks for the feedback...now to do my homework on brands...
Thank you both

[JonH27]

Hi Scotty

FWIW I have used nothing but Wacoms and they have all been faultless, even the cheapest small ones. And they get some heavy use too - I use one all the time instead of a mouse, not just for drawing. Plus I can second others' views regarding lack of lag - you may experience some slight lag when there is a lot of computation going on, using complex brushes for example. But in that situation, a mouse would have been just the same. It's never been an issue for me.

I know from similar queries in the past on TG and elsewhere that opinions vary on optimum size for a drawing tablet, but I've always found that the smallest (currently using a Wacom Graphire with an active area of only 130mm x 90 mm at work, and a similar size Intuos at home) are more than adequate. When very fine control on detailed artwork is needed, just zoom in first. And the cost saving will keep you in Xara upgrades for years to come :-)

Jon

[masque]

I think I'd have to disagree with Jon regarding the cost savings to be made by buying a smaller tablet. It depends on your level and type of usage and of course your personal preferences when it comes to drawing, but sometimes a little more room is preferable. For instance my Intuos is described as an A5 tablet, though the work area is a little larger than that and the difference that bit of extra space has made to the drawing experience over say the Bamboo I used before is very noticeable. There are other factors as well of course such as the quality of the pen and the better texture of the drawing surface etc.
I think the cost saving on a smaller tablet will only be a saving if you're not wishing for a little more room to swing your pen and arguably a little more control after a short while.
Derek

Disclaimer: I should say that this is using the tablet mainly with Xara. Other programmes are available and your experience with those other programmes might be different.

[handrawn]

if you draw in the 'traditional' vector way then what Jon says about the tablet is probably true, and you can get away with not spending very much [but I would say go with a wacom as 'industry standard'] if you only want to draw with xara, which does not support many of the features of the more expensive tablets - however if you are going to draw with photoshop CS or corel painter it changes the equation

also if you draw freehand it is often necessary to see quite a large area of the drawing on same the window you are looking at as you draw it, which is where a larger tablet is most useful [eg sweeping long lines]


EDIT: and what Derek has just said I agree with, in as much as I have the same sized tablet and I would not want a smaller one, even if I were vector-only drawing