Wacom Intuos5

[Tabvla]

I am considering purchasing a Wacom Intuos5.

If any Forum Members have experience of this product I would be grateful for your comments. In particular....

1. Quality of the product
2. Ease of use
3. Bundled software
4. Support from Wacom
5. Compatibility with Designer Pro X

Is the Wacom Intuos5 the best product? I am prepared to pay more if there is something better than the Intuos5.

The real cost is not the actual money it is the time and effort needed to learn the full capabilities of a new product, in terms of both the hardware and the software. I don't want to invest a lot of time and effort in a product only to find in a few months time that it is not up to the job and I need to start all over again with a different product.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

T.

[Artyboots]

Hi,

I have Intuos 4. I haven't found anything better, and I have tried many. Cheaper tablets I found very scratchy or imprecise. However, my son loves his Bamboo tablet - a cheaper tablet from Wacom. One thing I found, but I think it is a matter of taste, is that the small ones are easier to work with if you have fatigue. The pen doesn't have so far to travel. I think artists prefer a big tablet. I am a tired designer, so small is fine. I did once have an A4 but it took up my whole desk, and annoyed me.

I used to spend a fortune on nibs, but my last tablet came with a lot. Excellent. Mine works fine with Xara. It's a very pleasant place to work.

Bottom line? I think Wacom is expensive, but you really get what you pay for.

[Egg Bramhill]

I had a Wacom Intuos5 and found it great. When that gave up the ghost I purchased a Wacom Bamboowhich is A6 size and I prefer that to my previous one. It's set up to work on my dual monitor set up and I find the smaller tablet easy to use without requiring large sweeps.

[Christine Farrelly]

Just don't be tempted by the wireless route - it needs to be connected to charge the battery so spends as much, if not more, time connected than running wireless.

Christine

[masque]

I use the Intuos 4 and as others have said I don't think theres better. Drawing is as natural as it can get and the feeling of the tip on the drawing surface is excellent, its a good size to work on and I use it exclusively in Xara Designer without any problems, though it has to be said you can get a little more out of it with some other programmes.
Derek

[Tabvla]

Thanks to all for your very informative and helpful replies

I have 4 further questions ( Q3 for Christine Farrelly. Q4 for Egg Bramhill )

Q1. With regards to the "Bundled Software" supplied by Wacom with the Intuos.

Is it worth installing? Does it do anything that Xara DP cannot do? When actually working on a project when is it better to use XDP and when is it better to use the "bundled software"?

Q2. Choice of product. (Cost of product is irrevelant. Time and effort to master the product is what is really important)

I am really undecided with regards to whether I should purchase the Bamboo or the Intuos. Most of the work that I do can loosely be defined as "artistic" rather than "design"....... although obviously there is always a bit of both. What would be the real criteria when deciding to buy the Bamboo and the criteria when deciding to buy the Intuos.

Q3. Wireless

Christine, thanks for your comment about the "wireless route". If one were to leave the Intuos on charge overnight how many hours would one get out of it the next morning? When you talk about the "wireless route" I assume that you are talking about the tablet itself and not the pen, the pen I assume is wireless - is this correct?

Q4. Reliability

Egg, you wrote that when your Intuos5 "gave up the ghost"...... that sounds ominous. What went wrong? How many hours do you estimate you used the product before the great reaper paid a visit?

Thanks again for all your help, which is much appreciated.

T.

[masque]

Q2. 'What would be the real criteria when deciding to buy the Bamboo and the criteria when deciding to buy the Intuos' - --- cost and desk space.
If cost and or desk space is not a factor then go with the Intuos. Its a bigger drawing surface and more importantly a better surface and so more natural to draw on. I owned a Bamboo and was very pleased with it, the Intuos is however simply better.
As for mastering it, then plug it in and draw something. Setting up the shortcut keys can come later when you see what funtions appropriate to using Xara you might need to asign to them.
Derek

[Egg Bramhill]

Q4. Reliability
Egg, you wrote that when your Intuos5 "gave up the ghost"...... that sounds ominous. What went wrong? How many hours do you estimate you used the product before the great reaper paid a visit?

The pad worked well for 4 years plus and finally the pen became unusable. It was almost as cheap to buy a new bamboo than purchase a replacement pen for the Intuos.
As I believe I stated earlier I prefer the bamboo's smaller footprint and also the surface quality (although I may be comparing unfairly as I've no idea of the current Intuos drawing surface).

Pens are the parts that get the most use/abuse and therefore are the likeliest to falter/fail. My Intuos would still work perfectly if I wished to invest in a new pen. I might also add that I use my drawing tablet exclusively for many hours a day whilst my mouse just sits there unloved and forgotten.

[Christine Farrelly]

Q4

Yes the tablet can be wireless - I got about 4 hours out of a fully charged battery.

Christine

[ad1066]

I've written previously at length on the subject of tablet size, and the fact that bigger is not always better. When drawing on paper, by default you're limited by the paper size. With a tablet, there are no such limitations.

I've had a Bamboo wireless for a couple of months now. In general, it's great. My only problem is that the battery does not consistently hold a charge. If I want to use it, I need to let it charge up beforehand. It's not enough to charge it then shut it down, if I leave it for more than a day, when I do come back and turn it on, there'll be no charge left, and I'm back to square one.

-- Ben