Wacom Intuos3 4 x 6-Inch Wide Format Pen Tablet (PTZ431W)
See it at Amazon.com for $177.59Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First
(5 out of 5)Big upgrade from Graphire4
I bought a Graphire4 4x5 tablet first thinking it would be enough for me... It was ok, but then I got a chance to play with an Intuos3 tablet and decided to return it.
Intuos3 gives you a much nicer feeling when you're drawing, just as if you were on paper, not plastic. Resolution is much higher, I'm getting very accurate results. Of course, using a tablet takes getting used to and might not be for everybody.
The pen is very comfortable to hold and comes with a bunch of replacement tips, including a softer-than-normal and a harder-than-normal tips (1 each).
The mouse is actually quite usable on this tablet as opposed to graphire4.
Long USB cord makes it possible to take the tablet off the table and onto your lap.
Overall, a fantastic tool for anybody who needs a better way to control their drawing/photo retouching.
For those, who say it is rather small - true, but the next one up is $100 more expensive. It gets the job done and works great for wide screen monitors without sacrificing horizontal resolution. I guess, for people who paint a much bigger tablet is in order, but this one should be quite enough for photo manipulations.
I only wish Wacom included some kind of handwriting recognition software for free with it, though they offer 20% discount on EverNote products (check out ritePen - it is amazing) as well as other product discounts
(4 out of 5)As with the 4x5 Not designed with Lefties
I would actually recommend if you're an artist to use the 6x8 which has express keys on both sides. While you can disable them, or reverse the tablet, this tablet which is the smallest one out of the intuos 3 series had right handed people in mind. Reversing the tablet makes it more awkward and uncomfortable for use.
If you're not going to use the Express keys you may as well go with the intuos 1 or 2, since i find this to be a major feature for the latest line of intuos. If you're going for geek bling and want a shiny new tablet I guess this is the way to go, but practicality wise, using an intuos 1 or 2 if you are left handed and use the smallest size is probably better and more affordable.
The wide format however will probably give you better accuracy for touch points from your tablet to match the screen.
(4 out of 5)view from a neophyte
so far there is a bit of a learning curve: working in a smaller dimension with the pen than what is represented on the monitor is a little frustrating. I imagine this gets easier over time.
The discord between tablet size and screen size is my only grumble, and that was based on the ching-factor, and not a problem on the part of the manufacturer.
... I suppose I could perhaps ignorantly complain that Wacom charges 300% over cost or something and so ideally I could buy a 12 x 8 tablet for $50. Maybe one day.
In conclusion, I like it. The pressure works well, it packs into my computer bag. No need for powersupply, perfect integration, I think, with PShop (which is mainly what I have used it with).
If you are doing fine art or other painstaking work, I suggest spending the money and getting bigger tablet.
(5 out of 5)Exactly what you're looking for.
I did a lot of researching before choosing which tablet to buy. Every review I read online said Wacom was the only way to go. I have to say that they are correct. I am a first time tablet user and this so far has been a wonderful experience. I only have one issue with it. I'm a lefty and so when I draw, I keep hitting the touchpad.
I, like the person that gave it a 1 star review, used it on my WinXP desktop with a 20 inch widescreen monitor and it works wonderful. It gets every edge of my monitor. I'm not sure what they're problem was, but all I had to do was install the drivers from the CD and everything works great! I also plugged it into my Windows Vista laptop and it works excellent with that too. I have also had no problems with the mouse working.
I wasn't sure that 4x6 would be big enough to draw with but I'm loving it and think now that anything bigger would be a little bit too much.
I highly recommend this product to anyone wanting to have a tablet for drawing!
(5 out of 5)Works wonderfully
The tablet works just as well is its reputation suggests. Plug it into a windows or mac machine and pop the CD in, you'll have it working in minutes. It will even work in linux, albeit with a bit more work (But then what doesn't take just a bit more work in linux?).
The precision and sensitivity are great. If you're wondering about sizes: Don't bother with the bigger tablets unless you're completely sure you need one. If you're comfortable with making precise movements with the stylus, you really don't need a larger tablet. This one has all the same response and sensitivity as a big one, packed into a more convenient size.
Furthermore, Amazon has one of the best prices around on the tablet and it'll probably ship free. What's not to love?