Right I want to get a tablet, but not sure whats the best. I know wacom take some beating but are there any others on the market worth looking at.
Cheers
Joe

I use an Aiptek. It's nice and works, may not be the best. shrug

I use a Genius tablet.Been using it a while.Much cheaper than Wacom but serviceable.

I use a Wacom "Graphire",.......it's one of their cheaper models,...........not as many levels of pressure as some of the top of the line stuff but still very good.

I have a wacom but cant get used to it at all :-/ If anything, make sure you get a pad that can adjust to accomodate the ratio of your screen(s).
You'll rather want a pad that can shrink your total screen area proportionally to fit on the pad rather then to stretch and squeeze your screen area to use all of the pads surface.
When stretching the screen area to use all the pads surface your drawings get stretshed and squashed also. So drawing a circle would come out as an oval.
I dont know if all pads are capable of this, but I know I found drawing on a pad extremely annoying when the wacom tablet had a different width-height ratio then my apple cinema screen. I only found out later that you can adjust the settings of the tablet to compensate :-P

Aiptek for me too.....................;-)

I use Wacom Intuos2, a bit quirky but does the job...

I am also in the market to buy a tablet. Which wacom would be best for apps like Bryce or Photosphop / Corel's Photopaint / Painter?

Same as Zhann, takes a bit of practice but there are applications I wouldn't do without it.

Edit:
I've got the 4x5, would go for a larger size though. Price dictated my purchase at the time.

Wacom is the 'Mercedes Benz of tablet makers', so if you can afford one, indulge.

They also make a cheaper model called Volito (www.myvolito.com) in Europe.

Grapphire is their entry level, Intuos is the higher-end model, and they also make one built into a screen thyat costs thousands (the Cintiq) and their technology is also found in the Tablet PC

If you're looking for bottom-line pricing, check Aiptek and Acecad. There's also Trust, and Adesso, Manhattan and more.

Aiptek also has refurbished models starting around $24 in quantities of 10, perhaps $35 for mere mortals who need just one.

recommendation: Don't get the very large model tablets unless you're planing on tracing from lots of large letter size templates and larger, or unless you want a good workout on your upper arm. I like smaller tablets like 6x8 and even 4x6  better because it comes all out of your wrist.

-Philip
project Dogwaffle at thebest3d.com - beyond digital painting

Thankyou guys for the info!

I´ld definitely recommend a Wacom Intuos model. Sure, it´s slightly more expensive, but you´ll also have a top quality tablet that will last a very long time.
Just make sure you buy a size that suits you. I have an Intuos3 A4, and even though i´ve gotten used to it now, there are occasions it feels way to big.  An A5 would most likely be a really good size.  

I got the biggest one they made, 10x12 actual tablet surface, and have not once regretted the money outlay, well worth it...=)

I've tried 3 different tablets over the years, and my guess is you actually do get what you pay for. The important thing here is to make sure drivers for your tablet are up to date so as to take advantage of new software.

Quote - I've tried 3 different tablets over the years, and my guess is you actually do get what you pay for. The important thing here is to make sure drivers for your tablet are up to date so as to take advantage of new software.

oh yes absolutely, you get what you pay for, by and large.

and so what you get when choosing Wacom Intuos is a lot more than a tablet with a pressure-sensitive feature on the tip. It also has buttons and sliders along the sides, programmable for shortcuts into your aplications, and you also have pens included or additional available that detect angular values like tilt and twist angles. Some programs will make use of such information. For example, bristle brushes in Project Dogwaffle to 'turn' with the angle at which you hold (tilt) the pen.

I'm just saying, if you have a very very limited budget (aka a staving artist's budget) you might need to start with a $40-$50 alternative. TigerDirect.com carries nice Adesso models  thereabout.

But yes, to make an analogy.... if I could afford a 'Mercedes' I'd drive one myself.

ahem... I actually do (Wacom Intuos 2) but that's courtesy of Wacom supporting developers, as we develop digital painting software.

If you have money for a Wacom Intuos, go for it. TigerDirect is again a good choice, as they sell them at some discount and ship from Florida, so no sales tax for most US states. Add shipping though. Still a great option.

Ive got 2 wacoms my old one a serial penpal and a volicle, for the first one that always served m well I cant ge any vista drivers! so I can only use it with my laptop :( . I bought a volicle usb pen for drawing its ok but the pressure doesnt work , read some where that alot of them have this problem. I have that one also for 2 years now so its out of the service time. I also tried a cheaper non brand from aldi once but it had bateries in the pen that made them much heavier and cumbersome to draw with, beware of that. Within an hour I returned it to the shop and got me money back. I guess I wait for wacom to make a driver for vista am not shelling out 200 euros again for a similar product. Maybe I sound grumpy but ill working apperatus really piss me off. Maybe I return to using old medium like paper and pencil, collectors also pay better works made with those media :P

I think you can blame most of that on Microsoft and Vista. Very few things is working well with that OS. ;)

I use a Wacom Intuos II and mine is not jerky at all. It is only jerky when you don’t configure it properly. You must Take the time to configure it for pen pressure, tilt, double click and assign the proper keys to the proper buttons. This is all done easily by going to the Windows control panel and putting your pen through the mill in its control panel. Not a very big deal at all. And once you’re done, you’ll have plenty of control over the tablet. Always make sure you have the most up-to-date drivers for your tablet. I have an 8x6 and in the beginning I thought that wasn’t enough space but boy was I wrong and thankfully so since back then it cost me new over $300.00 USD, not cheap. You set the tablet to mimic screen space so that you quickly become accustom to it. Wacom allows you to use the same configurations for a number of software packages. Mine is set for Photoshop, Illustrator, Painter, 3D Studio, Paintshop Pro and a few others. All you need do is select those programs you want using your Wacom tablet. Wacom is well worth the money but there are others out there that do a reasonable job. My first tablet was a gift and after I configured it (after several months went by) I became quite use to it. It was an Acecat II 5x5 and at the time only cost $100.00 USD I don’t even know if they still make it anymore.

As a Post Script I think but not sure that Wacom sells refurbished tablets at a cheaper price. So check with them.

Got a Graphire III USB (one of the smaller ones). I'd say it's good for starting out, since I managed for around $50 U.S. when I got it. Pick the size from what you would feel comfortable with on paper, both Intuos and Graphire have a good selection. I'd say the Graphires (Wacom's budget/entry level) are good for beginners. You risk less money on it, and if you get a feel for it - odds are really good for being able to move to an Intuos later on. If you spend a bit on an Intuos and find you don't like using a tablet, well then you're kinda stuck now - aren't you?

BTW, I find that any tablet sucks if you trust the default OS (Mac or PC) based drivers. Installing whatever comes on the disk included with whatever tablet you get is necessary. Otherwise the aspect ratio is off, you might not get any pressure sensitivity, and the "eraser" and function buttons won't work. This is also the kind of thing that can make judging any tablet demonstrated at a store iffy.

If I had the budget to move to Intuos right now, I'd probably give a good offer on the Graphire. Then again, I might not have a problem with keeping it either. (Not bad for travel with the laptop or such.)

I've had a wacom then went "up" to a Hewlet Packard, which i hated and now have gone back to an A5 wacom.    I don't use it in Bryce or Wings since being absolute goes a bit crazy, but love it for Photoshop postwork.

I wouldn't say no to the Wacom Cintiq though.  Just need 2498 more dollars.

I use an A5 Wacom Graphire 3. I am really happy with it. Especially useful when touching up photos and tweaking renders. And it was inexpensive - this is after all a hobby for many of us.