Product Review: Wacom Intuos 3
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 5:21 pm
I finally saved up enough cash to buy a new tablet. I figured why not go all out and get a 6x8 Wacom Intuos 3. I knew it would be an improvement (I was using a 4x5 serial Wacom Graphire, not bad, but not great), but I had no idea how big an improvement.
First of all the pen is fantastic. It has a bit of weight to it, has an incredibly wide range of sensitivity (especially noticable in programs like Painter), and a nice sized rubberized grip. Bottom line, it just feels good. The stand that comes with it lets you stand the pen up or lay it on its side at the cost of being a bit bigger than the old stands.
6x8 size is ideal. The drawing area is actually big enough to feel like I'm drawing. I've noticed a dramatic jump in the quality of my digital drawings. However, the overall tablet size is a little large (about 50% bigger than my old graphire) and a little trickier to use with a keyboard at the same time. Manageable, but trickier.
But the real improvement on the Intuos 3 over earlier models (I use an Inutous 2 at work), is the addition of the scroll pads and buttons on the side. There are 4 programable buttons and a scroll pad on each side of the drawing pad. They default to Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Space, and mouse wheel (that's on a PC). They are also programmable globally and for specific applications, standard stuff for Wacom.
The really cool thing is that you don't need the pen to use the side buttons. That's right you can use the side buttons with your fingers (including the scroll strip). So while you're drawing and animating away in Moho, you can use all the standard navigation modifiers with the mouse clicks while holding the tablet on your lap or any other comfortable drawing position and not need to use the keyboard. You could have one side with modifiers and the other programmed with your most used 4 most used tools. It may not sound like much if you aren't using a larger tablet now, but it really is a very cool innovation.
The mouse that comes with it is better than they used to be (5 button, scroll wheel), and it has a bit more weight to it than they used to. Ultimately though, I'd either use the stylus or a "real" mouse as it still has a weird disjointed feeling to it. I don't have an optical mouse at home, but at work I know you can't use the Intuos2 as a mouse pad because the laser doesn't reflect properly. I don't know if that's a problem with this model.
The texture of the drawing area is the same as it always was, but doesn't have the clear plastic sheet that lifts for tracing. I never used it so it wasn't a big deal. The non-drawing area is a clear acrylic type material, which takes a little getting used to. It's very fancy looking, but is so smooth it feels a bit "sticky" at first, like resting your arm on a piece of really clean glass. I imagine it may be easier to keep clean, but I'm concerned about it scratching. Time will tell.
Bottom line: I love it! If you're working without a tablet, or working on an old clunker of one, the Intuous 3 is a very worthy purchase. The buttons are a HUGE bonus feature that I wasn't even expecting. The design is sharp and futuristic looking, although may be prone to cosmetic damage (again, I haven't seen it yet, it's just a gut reaction). The pen is very nice, while the mouse is improved, but still not as good as a "real" mouse. Personally, the 6x8 is the perfect size for me. 4x5 was too small to get a good feeling for sketching and drawing, while I imagine that 10x12 is cumbersome for standard work and may not fit on many people's desks (although, it's probably great to draw on).
It also comes with a very nice software package including: Photoshop Elements 2, and Painter Essentials. Both are great additions to the Moho artists tool box. While they aren't the full versions of Photoshop CS or Painter IX, they do include a all the tools I typically need and use on a project.
If you do some searching you can find it for just under $300 (I got for $289 from shipdog.com and was very happy with their service).
________
GOSSIP GIRL ADVICE
First of all the pen is fantastic. It has a bit of weight to it, has an incredibly wide range of sensitivity (especially noticable in programs like Painter), and a nice sized rubberized grip. Bottom line, it just feels good. The stand that comes with it lets you stand the pen up or lay it on its side at the cost of being a bit bigger than the old stands.
6x8 size is ideal. The drawing area is actually big enough to feel like I'm drawing. I've noticed a dramatic jump in the quality of my digital drawings. However, the overall tablet size is a little large (about 50% bigger than my old graphire) and a little trickier to use with a keyboard at the same time. Manageable, but trickier.
But the real improvement on the Intuos 3 over earlier models (I use an Inutous 2 at work), is the addition of the scroll pads and buttons on the side. There are 4 programable buttons and a scroll pad on each side of the drawing pad. They default to Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Space, and mouse wheel (that's on a PC). They are also programmable globally and for specific applications, standard stuff for Wacom.
The really cool thing is that you don't need the pen to use the side buttons. That's right you can use the side buttons with your fingers (including the scroll strip). So while you're drawing and animating away in Moho, you can use all the standard navigation modifiers with the mouse clicks while holding the tablet on your lap or any other comfortable drawing position and not need to use the keyboard. You could have one side with modifiers and the other programmed with your most used 4 most used tools. It may not sound like much if you aren't using a larger tablet now, but it really is a very cool innovation.
The mouse that comes with it is better than they used to be (5 button, scroll wheel), and it has a bit more weight to it than they used to. Ultimately though, I'd either use the stylus or a "real" mouse as it still has a weird disjointed feeling to it. I don't have an optical mouse at home, but at work I know you can't use the Intuos2 as a mouse pad because the laser doesn't reflect properly. I don't know if that's a problem with this model.
The texture of the drawing area is the same as it always was, but doesn't have the clear plastic sheet that lifts for tracing. I never used it so it wasn't a big deal. The non-drawing area is a clear acrylic type material, which takes a little getting used to. It's very fancy looking, but is so smooth it feels a bit "sticky" at first, like resting your arm on a piece of really clean glass. I imagine it may be easier to keep clean, but I'm concerned about it scratching. Time will tell.
Bottom line: I love it! If you're working without a tablet, or working on an old clunker of one, the Intuous 3 is a very worthy purchase. The buttons are a HUGE bonus feature that I wasn't even expecting. The design is sharp and futuristic looking, although may be prone to cosmetic damage (again, I haven't seen it yet, it's just a gut reaction). The pen is very nice, while the mouse is improved, but still not as good as a "real" mouse. Personally, the 6x8 is the perfect size for me. 4x5 was too small to get a good feeling for sketching and drawing, while I imagine that 10x12 is cumbersome for standard work and may not fit on many people's desks (although, it's probably great to draw on).
It also comes with a very nice software package including: Photoshop Elements 2, and Painter Essentials. Both are great additions to the Moho artists tool box. While they aren't the full versions of Photoshop CS or Painter IX, they do include a all the tools I typically need and use on a project.
If you do some searching you can find it for just under $300 (I got for $289 from shipdog.com and was very happy with their service).
________
GOSSIP GIRL ADVICE
