[PlacidTubs]

I'm currently waiting for a new 20" Intel iMac to ship, and am seriously considering to get myself a tablet to go with it. However, I don't really know much about them. All I know is that everyone seems to say Wacom is the way to go. Are there any other brands that come close?

I do a lot of Photoshop and InDesign work, and would also like to begin to experiment with digital illustration. I don't have a bottomless budget sadly.

I have looked into what Wacom has to offer. I'm not sure if I can afford the Intuos range on the whole, with the Graphire looking more in my budget range. What are the major differences between these two models? Is the price difference justifiable, and if so, should I wait until I can afford an Intuos?

I also don't know what size to get. Is bigger always better, and would an A6 be too fiddly to use? Also, I know there is a widescreen Intuos model, but it is very expensive. Will it cause me much trouble using a non-widescreen tablet with the widescreen iMac?

Any other helpfull comments or recomendations would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[olePigeon]

WACOM kinda has a monopoly when it comes to tablets. It's not like they're keeping anyone else from making them, it's just that it's a very specialized market and just isn't big enough for competition.

If you're using a Mac with Photoshop, WACOM is pretty much the only way to go. I think Dynalink makes tablets, but I've never seen one or used one so I can't comment on how good they are. I also don't know if they work with Macintosh.

[olePigeon]

Unless you're a professional, I'd suggest starting with just a Graphire 4x5 or even 6x8 tablet. They start at a hundred bucks and should get you going.

If you decide it's what you want to do, I would suggest a 9x12 Intuos tablet later on. It's a good size, nice detail/resolution ratio, should scale nicely even to larger screens and resolutions. They even make a 6x11 tablet now for widescreen displays.

The super large 12x12 tablest are usually for CAD. They're also really expensive.

The difference between a Graphire and Intuos tablet is that the Intuos has twice the levels of pressure sensitivty. If you're going into digital painting, you'll be able to get twice the level of brush sensitivty in programs like Painter and Photoshop. The larger Intuos tablets also have programmable Function buttons on the side of the tablet.

Seriously, it mostly comes down to you. It's like seeing the Japanese tourists at the ski lodge with all the latest gear thinking it'll help them ski better. You can get some incredible artwork out of a $100 Graphire. The technology has advanced so much, even the low-end Graphire tablets are pretty darn good.