For my Friend Justin H, you wanted a product review, here ya go...
It's been years since I picked up a tablet and by tablet I mean a graphics tablets, not an iPad or Android tablet. I am talking about a pen tablet. While I was getting my masters and eventually working on my PhD (which is on pause for now), I would sometimes pick up a Wacom tablet that we had and check it out and do some digital drawings or illustrations. But I never bothered mastering it, because I didn't have one of my own and for me I need access to something 24/7 to really get the hang of it. (No telling when creativity will hit ya.) And at the time Wacom tablets were too expensive for me, rent and food were more important. But recently I have been paying attention to the Bamboo line by Wacom on Amazon and over the last month they have dropped the price twice, its that nice (see what I did there). So as an early Christmas present my wife got me Bamboo Capture. This is the middle of the road Bamboo pen tablet.
Four Days later it arrives. Just as I am opening it, my wife says "Lets Eat" In my head really, now, but I got this new toy in and I..okay...dinner first then toy. Well actually after dinner we had to go to Wal-mart and then we came home and, and, and, then I got to the AMAZON BROWN BOX.
The packaging is nicely designed. And they packed it well so that nothing will happen to it. Looking at the tablet itself, the buttons have a crumpled look to them. At first you think did these buttons get damaged, but they aren't. It adds to the personality of the tablet, to which I imagine there is a rhyme and reason for their look. Like to let you know you are touching a button and not any other part of the tablet. But I am too lazy to go find that out and read up on it. So enough of the design and look. Oh by the way this is important note, the weight frees great. Very light and free feeling.
After Windows 7 decided we needed to do like what seemed 10 hours of updates, probably 2 hours, plus the installation of the software that came with it. Photoshop Elements and Autodesk Sketchbook Express. (Somewhere I own CS 2, but can't put my hands on it and I own a Autodesk Entertainment Suite 2010, bought it before I took a break from school - wise choice). I go to sleep, let the comp finish up the updates wake up at 6am (you can guess why so early later), finish more updates and now its 8am and time to play with the tablet.
I start up the Autodesk Sketchbook Express. I have never used it before, but I like it. It's easy to navigate. My first drawing I started doing is a concept for a game, but then I decided to wait and first get use to the pen and the feel of it.
It has great sensitivity, And my from my brain to hand to tablet to screen it's seamless. The price on amazon I believe is $99.00. Here is the link Amazon
I bought a case but it will take some times to come in. I think probably right before the Christmas Holiday. My goal with my pen tablet (besides drawings, sketches, illustrations) is to create better textures for my 3D models and to start working in Autodesk Mudbox.
Here is my second use of the pen tablet. The dog on the right is me trying to get use the pen tablet and the one of the left is getting a better handle of it. (I showed the drawing to my 18 month old, 19 months tomorrow and asked her "What is this?", her reply "Doggie" - I think I achieved my goal)
I highly recommend this tablet and as affordable tablet that works great so far. Once I get into textures (if I can put my hands on Photoshop) and Mudbox (have my hands on that). I will post another review of the product.
Thats it for now, thanks for reading.
