Wacom Intuos Intuos4 - Medium

I had used a Wacom Tablet over 8 years ago. It was even beige...Back then, the worst part was the ergonomics of the "pen". It looked and felt like a crappy Papermate pen. But oh the neat-o things you could do, if the school computers wouldn't crash on you. :)Fast forward...the years of design refinement are apparent.The pen, the piece that is critical to the user experience, has evolved by leaps and bounds! Good feel, size and weighted accurately. I think Wacom studied how a Mont Blanc pen felt in the hand.The aesthetics of the tablet of today are sleek to say the least.The integrated digital screens showing the shortcut assignments are great.The wheel and toggle help me work with a fluidity that rivals traditional media.The sensitivity is great and refined. I have to say that this is an incredible way to control what you want to do, I encourage everyone to learn how to use the adjustments to your advantage!To add to this the wireless option and you have a product that will grow with you!Compatibility and obsolescence issues look to be a long way off.The only thing that may bother some is the stray crumb and dust showing up on the tablet as you work.I also think for what you can do and the reliability, the price is more than fair.If only the Cintique wasn't so pricey. The screen integration is the next logical step. Gotta wait till I win the lottery...I am left handed. No problems there. This was an important part of my decision to purchase this brand.I use a 5+year old Toshiba laptop running XP Pro. No issues with the set up and use of the Tablet.If you are comparing models, the Intuos 4 has the best bang for the buck. Hands down.Bottom line: Superb product.Sat Nam,CS Asheville NC

I love my Intuos3 tablet and was hoping there was enough to justify the expense of upgrading, especially since after a couple of years the old one is still in great shape with no problems at all. I needn't have worried, I love this new tablet! The first thing I noticed is that it's nicer looking with it's shiny black side panel and just a more high tech look overall. The older model had a more clunky look to it than this one. (Hopefully this will be just as dependable).The radial touch wheel that looks kind of like the one on an iPod is a great new feature. It's programmable so you can adjust the sensitivity and canvas and also add 4 custom settings. In fact, every button can be mapped to the way you want it. You can even map the tilt sensitivity, the tip feel, and tip double-click distance. It's pretty impressive.To me, this feels more like actually drawing on paper than the previous model. It has a great surface and it's very responsive. The weight of the pen is just right and the rubber grip makes it very comfortable to hold. It supports 2048 levels of sensitivity so you have a great deal of control over what you're drawing. The express keys are fantastic. The possibilities for programming them seems almost endless and using submenus there are even more possibilities. The different nibs offer different levels of friction, simulating many different mediums. (It comes with 10 replacement nibs). There are more capabilities than I will probably ever need, but it's nice to know they're available.I never used the mouse for my old tablet and probably won't use it with this one. I tried it for a short time and it seems about the same.You purchase gives you access to the following software available for download: Nik Color Efex Pro 3 WE6 and Wacom Brushes 3 along with two of the following: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 for the PC, Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for the Mac, Autodesk SketchBook Express 2010, and Corel Painter Sketch Pad. I'm still making up my mind which ones to download.This was great upgrade and I'm glad I didn't wait.

I've learned--the expensive way--the difference between large and medium. My large broke down and Wacom refused to do a minor repair. (Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.) I could only afford a medium to replace the large. I work on two screens and so need something that allows the mouse or pen to go from one edge to the other edge of both screens together. While it can be done using the medium tablet, it can't be done without a hassle. Often I run out of tablet before reaching the other edge, and then have to circle the mouse, etc., etc. to get it where I need it. And this is NOT a mapping problem. It's a tablet surface area problem.Otherwise, Wacom makes great tablets, no doubt. The auxiliary keyboard running down the left side can be very useful. There are lots of choices as to what one can assign each key to do, depending on needs or preferences. For instance, I use one in combination with the pen to act as the right click for the pen, because I find the location of the keys on the pen itself to be very awkward to use. That, for me, is one failing in these Intuos tablets. Course, full disclosure, I have only partial use of my right hand. But you get an idea of how useful the keys can be, along with the center circular tool, which can, among other things, be used to turn your photo or painting to whatever angle you need on screen. It will rotate the piece. It can also be used to scroll, cycle layers and to zoom as well.The biggest problem, and the reason for four stars, is the weak connection where the USB cable inserts into the tablet. That's what broke on my first one and now I'm having trouble with that on my second one. It's just poorly made and liable to breakage. Be VERY careful how you handle the tablet with the cord plugged in. For Wacom, there's just no excuse for such a weakness in a device that costs a whole lot of dough. By the way, screws to remove the back are hidden under the pads. Just peel those away and you'll find the screws you need to take the tablet apart should you ever need to do so. Don't bother with any of the visible screws, which do nothing.Wacom needs to get their act together and cut out the built-in obsolescence routine. I should add that having a pen does allow for effects that cannot be achieved with a mouse alone, the primary one being the ability to execute fades, something for which Photoshop has no really workable tool.