# Best drawing tablet for Photoshop, under 200$?



## tuffarts

The bamboo drivers are not as good as the more professional intuous range
you can only set the settings for the whole system and not per application as in the intuous drivers
that and better buttons are the reason for the diff in prices in Wacom range


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## AngeloG.

I cannot fully understand what you are saying tuffarts.

Could you rephrase that?


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## Cross

" The bamboo drivers are not as good as the more professional intuous range
you can only set the settings for the whole system and not per application as in the intuous drivers
that and better buttons are the reason for the diff in prices in Wacom range"

He means,

The Wacom Bamboo's drivers don't enable flexible per-application tablet settings like the Wacom Intuos (Their more professional line-up) can. The Bamboo is basic while the Intuos can set per-application settings for your tablet, which is huge to some people.

So...
You can pick up a Wacom Intuos 3 for under $200 but not the Wacom Intuos 4. I'm not familiar with these peripherals so good luck. Just google Bamboo vs Intuos and Intuos3 vs Intuos4.

Good luck! Rep me if I was able to help.

If you're lucky you can buy an Intuos4 off someone on craigslist. That would be my best bet if you have a budget of $200 and have no desire to spend less.


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## AngeloG.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cross*
> 
> " The bamboo drivers are not as good as the more professional intuous range
> you can only set the settings for the whole system and not per application as in the intuous drivers
> that and better buttons are the reason for the diff in prices in Wacom range"
> He means,
> The Wacom Bamboo's drivers don't enable flexible per-application tablet settings like the Wacom Intuos (Their more professional line-up) can. The Bamboo is basic while the Intuos can set per-application settings for your tablet, which is huge to some people.
> So...
> You can pick up a Wacom Intuos 3 for under $200 but not the Wacom Intuos 4. I'm not familiar with these peripherals so good luck. Just google Bamboo vs Intuos and Intuos3 vs Intuos4.
> Good luck! Rep me if I was able to help.
> If you're lucky you can buy an Intuos4 off someone on craigslist. That would be my best bet if you have a budget of $200 and have no desire to spend less.


Thank you. Asking for REP is against the rules my friend. If you help, you will be REP'd without asking for it.


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## AngeloG.

Any other OCN members have an opinion about a good tablet for the price?

Thanks.


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## tuffarts

^^ like he said ^^
The pro range is a lot easier to handle ie button placement scroll wheels etc.
you get what you pay for with this stuff. some tablets will have resolutions approaching the wacom stuff but will lack the versatility of it features like buttons on stylus, buttons under your fingers, eraser on the end of stylus etc
These features are invaluable when using a tablet for drawing. Changing tools and navigating the work-space are much easier .


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## AngeloG.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tuffarts*
> 
> ^^ like he said ^^
> The pro range is a lot easier to handle ie button placement scroll wheels etc.
> you get what you pay for with this stuff. some tablets will have resolutions approaching the wacom stuff but will lack the versatility of it features like buttons on stylus, buttons under your fingers, eraser on the end of stylus etc
> These features are invaluable when using a tablet for drawing. Changing tools and navigating the work-space are much easier .


Yeah, but I can't affort the pro range, so I don't get why we are comparing them.


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## tuffarts

most features are on the bamboo, so it is a good entry level thing but if you use it enough you could buy a pro model later
just saying that the pro range is more fun to use especially if you use more than 1 drawing program.
as for wacom over other choices I would go with Wacom as the features they offer are very handy in real world situations. and the build quality and support are excellent
I have an old bamboo I use with my lap top and it still has Win7 drivers after 7-8 yrs and drivers are important it will work without drivers as a normal pointing device but drivers add the functionality that you really need to keep a good workflow.

Bamboo is a good choice if you need it now or is all you can afford.


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## AngeloG.

I guess I should go with the Bamboo..I wish I had more choice though.


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## Sir-Lucius

How serious are you about digital illustration? And are you familiar with traditional paper drawing? If you're serious about it then my best advice is to either pick up an used Intuos3 or one of the smaller Intuos4's. The Bamboo line is fine for beginner/hobby work, but if you are serious about pursing digital artwork then the Intuos tablets are worth every penny, and you'll more than likely quickly outgrow the Bamboo line pretty quickly. Especially if you are already familiar with traditional media and techniques. The Intuos tablets are going to have much better driver support and customization, and they are FAR more sensitive and accurate. Think of it kinda like the difference between Crayola markers and the high end Prismacolor sets. Both do the same thing but one allows for much more control and detail than the other.

I'm probably biased since I've been using Wacom's tablets for the last 10 or so odd years but I wouldn't even consider a non-Wacom tablet for drawing purposes. None of the other brand tablets I've used have ever come close to the quality of the Wacoms, even the entry level Bamboo line.

If you don't mind the smaller size then the Intuos4 small would be the way to go. It MSRP's at $200 but it's pretty easy to find under that (Amazon has it for $170 now). It won't give you the same amount of drawing space as the larger Bamboo tablets, but I personally don't find that to be too much of an issue when working digitally since it's so easy to zoom, pan, and rotate to accommodate your stroke. I'd personally go with a small Intuos4 over any of the Bamboo line (and I currently have a Large Intuos3). If you think the small will be TOO small and you aren't willing to save up for the medium then the only other viable option is one of the higher end Bamboo models IMO which will cost around the same.


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## AngeloG.

I went for the Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch medium, and it's pretty awesome.

Thanks for all the replies.


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