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View Full Version : Wacom Bamboo - Worth Getting?


Corndogman
June 21st, 2009, 08:25 PM
Well I've never really had an interest in getting a tablet (for the time being anyways), but I just noticed that its only $70 at best buy, and I have ~60 in gift cards, so I figure it might be worth it to get one.

I know the bamboo is like the lowest model of Tablet's, but is it good enough that its worth getting? I mean at least for a starter, I've never used one before, so I might as well get one and learn.
Good_Apollo
June 21st, 2009, 09:37 PM
You can get pretty nice Wacom tablets (New, even unopened) on Ebay for super cheap my friend.
klange
June 21st, 2009, 09:39 PM
The Bamboo is a nice tablet, I have one, but if you can find even a step up on ebay for $100, it'd be a better deal.
Corndogman
June 21st, 2009, 09:46 PM
Yeah, I figured as much, thing is, the only reason I was considering getting it is because I have the Best Buy gift cards. I don't want to spend any of my actual money on one of these, just the gift cards I have, since I probably wont use them on anything anyways.

E: I'm going away for this whole week, so it'll be next weekend when I go to buy it, so I'll just leave this thread here for the week.
Boba
June 21st, 2009, 10:22 PM
bamboo is grape
rossmum
June 21st, 2009, 10:27 PM
Definitely worth it. Go buy it right the fuck now.

Seriously, once you have a tablet you'll wonder why the fuck you ever let yourself go without one.
MetKiller Joe
June 21st, 2009, 11:12 PM
I've got an Intuos2 12x12 on ebay for $80, which is only a couple of 10s more expensive than the bamboo. It also feels a lot more natural to draw and manipulate stuff in photoshop, illustrator, etc.
Llama Juice
June 21st, 2009, 11:34 PM
Definitely worth it. Go buy it right the fuck now.

Seriously, once you have a tablet you'll wonder why the fuck you ever let yourself go without one.

^This.

Even if it is just a bamboo, it's better than nothing. I know tons of kids that have em, and they love em. I'm partial to my Intuos 4 of course, but... that's just me.
Lateksi
June 23rd, 2009, 05:40 PM
If you'll later on get more into tablets you might want to get a "proper" one but like people said Bamboo is a good starter kit and the mobility is a nice plus. Like, you could take it along with your laptop on a trip.
paladin
June 23rd, 2009, 10:10 PM
Yes, I have the 8.8" x 5.3" and its amazing
il Duce Primo
June 23rd, 2009, 11:00 PM
I've been looking into getting a tablet myself too. I don't want to buy a cheap tablet when I could spend alil more and get something much better. What tablet should I look into getting thats better than the bamboo but isn't much more in price. I'm thinking around 120$ price range. Even getting something used would be fine since intous 3 should be cheap now with 4 out.
paladin
June 23rd, 2009, 11:12 PM
my bamboo was 100
Corndogman
June 27th, 2009, 10:04 PM
Yeah, I bought it today right when i got back into town, since best buy was right there. I'm loving it so far, took like 30 min to get used to fully but now it feels good. It's a little harder to use when you have dual monitors though, since there's more ground to cover on the same amount of tablet. I'll just have to switch to single display when I paint. Even though its small, i like it, it fits perfectly on my desk anyways.

Il duce, I'd just do what Metkiller said, look for a nicer one on ebay.
PlasbianX
June 28th, 2009, 06:45 PM
Yeah, I bought it today right when i got back into town, since best buy was right there. I'm loving it so far, took like 30 min to get used to fully but now it feels good. It's a little harder to use when you have dual monitors though, since there's more ground to cover on the same amount of tablet. I'll just have to switch to single display when I paint. Even though its small, i like it, it fits perfectly on my desk anyways.

Il duce, I'd just do what Metkiller said, look for a nicer one on ebay.

I use dual monitors. Atleast on my wacom, you can set it to just use the area for 1 monitor not both. And even better, you can define an area to use. So normally if i have photoshop open I put it at full screen and make it where every part of my wacom fits exactly into the photoshop workspace to make it easier to use.
Corndogman
June 28th, 2009, 09:13 PM
I use dual monitors. Atleast on my wacom, you can set it to just use the area for 1 monitor not both. And even better, you can define an area to use. So normally if i have photoshop open I put it at full screen and make it where every part of my wacom fits exactly into the photoshop workspace to make it easier to use.

Ah, thanks plas. I'll have to look into how to do that. or could you explain it?

also thanks to everyone else who posted useful info.
PlasbianX
June 28th, 2009, 09:46 PM
Ah, thanks plas. I'll have to look into how to do that. or could you explain it?

also thanks to everyone else who posted useful info.

This right here:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3275/examplelvz.jpg


Its the Wacom Preferences Utility.
Saggy
June 29th, 2009, 01:00 PM
I'm guessing you got the 5.8 x 3.7 sized tablet, correct? If so, would you recommend it, especially for beginners?
PlasbianX
June 29th, 2009, 02:05 PM
I'm guessing you got the 5.8 x 3.7 sized tablet, correct? If so, would you recommend it, especially for beginners?

Yeah. Like first time I used it, it took getting used to looking at a screen instead of looking down at what im drawing, but its good for beginners. Im going to college for digital art so I plan on actually getting one with the screen right on the pad just cause i think it would be easier to use (more expensive tho, but money isnt that big of a deal for me right now)

EDIT: Other than that, its pretty cheap now too so its worth it.
Terry
June 29th, 2009, 11:20 PM
I've been wondering about these things but I have no idea how much the size really matters. Are the small sizes crippling or should I just get a medium?

I've never used a tablet in my life, but really considering one for a while...
PlasbianX
June 30th, 2009, 01:23 AM
Ive never used a medium sized so I really cant compare. In used to my wacom now tho.
TomClancy
June 30th, 2009, 02:38 PM
I had the Intuos3 on loan for a couple months, I can't remember the size, but here's a picture (http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/225/img5130yh3.jpg).

At my office I used the Cintiq 21UX (http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/6469/img1877lx3.jpg) as well, which is really nice. So Plasbian it's definitely worth getting. I loved using it, intuitive and really simple to use.
Corndogman
June 30th, 2009, 03:34 PM
This right here:


Its the Wacom Preferences Utility.

Thanks, although mine was different, but i found it.


I'm guessing you got the 5.8 x 3.7 sized tablet, correct? If so, would you recommend it, especially for beginners?

yeah, thats the one i got. I think no matter what size you get, its gonna take some getting used to. but its good for beginners, especially if you dont want to pay for something you might not use often. the bigger sized are for people who really need the space, like if your really good at painting in PS. but if you feel the bigger size is worth the price to you, then go for it.