Plaidophile

When you posted the last Songfight blog entry, I couldn't see you in the listing but you're there now. Is this a different song, or the song you were referring to before?
I voted for you anyway, but I was just wondering. =D

Also, an off-topic question. I've heard you mention graphic tablets a few times before. Ever have experience with a Wacom Graphire tablet?
I saw a Graphire 2, 4x5 on for $99CDN and I'm considering grabbing it(It's on sale for $60-off the original price).
I've read some customer reviews that rave about it, but I'd rather avoid the astroturfers and hear it from someone who has actually used one.
Any recommendations?

Oddly enough, I'm probably the only graphic artist who has never used a tablet, period. ;p
But I prefer traditional implements for painting and sketching. Maybe it's time for me to join the 21st century, lol.

I usually post the weblog entry a bit before the fight actually goes live.

I have a Wacom Graphire2 and it's what I use for all of the digital part of my artwork ever since I switched to the Mac. Before that I used a Wacom ArtPad, which was basically the original version of the technology. The Graphire is a series of incremental improvements over the ArtPad (multiple device support, pressure-sensitive eraser, and one more programmable button).

4x5" is a bit small but it's workable for amateur stuff anyway. The only thing I don't like about it is that replacement nibs are overpriced, considering they're just a little shaft of Teflon, but they last a long time if you treat them well (and the tablet comes with like 3 to start with).

As far as affordable tablets, the Graphire is definitely the best on the market, IMO. I've paid too much money for a few of the cheap clones and they just plain don't work as well (if at all).

Yeah, I thought the 4x5 would be a tad small. The 6x8 might be a somewhat better choice. Someone else suggested the Intuos2, but that screams 'overpriced' considering I just want one to fart around with. My professional-class work is more traditional so it's not like I would use a tablet for commissioned work(actually, no one has ever asked me to do digital art). The most I use photoshop for is for making textures for my 3d models, so that isnt really something that requires a pen. Anyhoo, I saw the price and figured it would be something nice to play with.

On a side note, have you ever used a mouse with a Gyroscope sensor? Man, those things are fun. I bought a Gyration laptop-style keyboard(great for people who don't have much desk space) and it came with a cordless optical mouse with dual modes - One mode for desk operation, and one for in-the-air operation. It's surprisingly good. But it's a shitload of fun for when you just want to sit back and relax away from the keyboard. People think you're nuts waving your mouse at the screen, but nuts to them. =D

I still haven't been able to figure out what the difference is between the Graphire and Intuos. The 4x5" is probably sufficient for your needs anyway though.

I haven't played with a gyro mouse. Seems like it'd be good for some kinds of gaming which I don't play to begin with. If I want lay-back-and-relax control of my system, I just put my trackball on my lap, or put Clicker into mouse mode.

I used to use a trackball(and swear by them), but I'm totally happy with my Logitech MX700(the response is great, considering it's cordless). I'll probably never buy another corded mouse again - Even for gaming. But the Gyro mouse isn't something you would want to play games with. Your wrists would burn out in no time. It's more for casual surfing when you're sitting back and relaxing.

Remember a few months ago when I was looking for a small-frame mini keyboard and you mentioned the new apple model? The Gyration laptop-style keyboard is what I settled on, and it happened to come with the gyro mouse.

After looking through some reviews, I figure the 4x5 may not be so bad(The 6x8 is $100 more, yikes!). Especially when you consider that pro artists were creating masterpieces with 4x5 tablets in '98 when they first hit shelves, so they can't be all that bad. The Graphire 2 is more advanced tech-wise, but in terms of size, 4x5 is really what you make of it. I'll have to ponder on it.

It would be nice if Wacom made a tablet pen that works on any surface. Then size wouldn't be an issue(but then, isn't it always? .

That's a lot of money for a keyboard which still needs batteries to be replaced regularly.

Okay, I just checked the Wacom site to see what the difference is between Graphire and Intuos... It looks like a lot of the higher-end pro features (multiple tool support, programmable menu strip, tilt, etc.) is only in the Intuos line now. I guess they needed to fork their product line somehow. (In the ArtPad days, there was only a single product line where the features were based on size, and everything supported every stylus type etc.)

FWIW, Wacom has traditionally been very good about supporting even their oldest products; you may recall that when I had ordered new nibs, I also went ahead and ordered a new tablet surface for my old ArtPad, for example. (Not that it's turned out to be all that useful since I ended up switching to the Graphire not long after. Oh well.)

>That's a lot of money for a keyboard which still needs batteries to be replaced regularly.

Heh, the price on their site is through the roof. I got it at a local shop for $100CAD and the batteries in the devices are NiMH. The only thing I don't like about it is that the mouse has a battery pack, like a cellphone. So when it finally gives out, I have to go back to Gyration for another whereas my MX700 takes off-the-shelf NiMH batteries.

I think I'll try out the 4x5. I know the Intuos has a shortcut bar across the top of the surface, but I despise "internet keys" on my keyboard, nevermind shortcuts on every device. I guess people are lazy these days. ;p
Either way, a plain writing tablet will be more than enough. One question, though. Does the writing surface represent the screen itself, and scroll accordingly? Or can you change movement speeds, in much the same way you would change mouse sensitivity? I can move my mouse from the lower left corner to the upper right in about three inches of mouse movement on the pad(resolution is 1280x1024). If the pen reacts in the same way, 4x5 will suffice.

From the reviews I've read, the Graphire still features tilt - If it ever did before, I mean. But it looks like that feature is there.

You can configure it to act like a mouse (cursor-relative) or like a pen (screen-absolute). By default the pen is screen-absolute and the mouse is cursor-relative.

Also, it used to be that tilt was just in the 6x8" or bigger in the ArtPad days. My 4x5" Graphire doesn't have tilt (and neither does the 6x8" according to wacom.com), though the 4x5" Intuos apparently does.

I grabbed the 4x5 this morning. Very nice. It does what I need it to do and accurately, so I'm not complaining. The mouse stayed in the box, obviously.. So it looks like this tablet is meant to replace the mousepad altogether. Wouldn't a mouse scratch the shit out of the tablet surface?
How well do these things hold up?

They hold up very well. Also, the top surface is replaceable, in case it does get scratched up. The wireless mouse isn't really much harder on it than the pen though.

I haven't really tried out the mouse that came with it. I did however notice that it has no optical sensor on the bottom. Interesting approach, to say the least. I wonder how the tablet will react to the laser on my optical mouse. It seems to work just fine.

Um, right, the Wacom tablet uses radio telemetry, not optical sensing. The tech inside the mouse is exactly the same as what's inside the pen (basically a big induction coil which powers a little chip which emits a serial number and a pressure value). All of the heavy lifting happens inside the tablet.

Yeah, I know. I did some reading on it. Pretty basic stuff.
Still interesting, nonetheless.

Now I can just get the cat to stop trying to lay on the damn thing, I'll be able to use it. ;p