What's the difference between tablets?

~HayabusaNoTsuchi Aug 8, 2012 Student General Artist

Isn't a tablet just a tablet? What's the difference between something for $60 and something for $300? I've only used a tablet once and I'm looking to get one so that I can start regularly coloring my work because I don't feel like anyone cares about what I draw simply because it's not in color. That's not the only reason, of course, but it does bother me.

From browsing, I've seen some recommendations for low-cost tablets like the Wacom Bamboo, but I'm very curious why people would pay five times as much for something else.

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*KittyNamedAlly Aug 11, 2012 Student Traditional Artist

hey eric, I have the wacom bamboo, and It really works great, the Graphire 4 is pretty good too and is much older so you could probably find one pretty cheap. The main difference is wacom tablets often have pressure and tilt sensitivity also the surface feels like pencil on paper. One of my friends had a cheap one that worked pretty well. I think it was 80, and was a large size, so that helped the tablet points match up to the computer screen. Hope Ive helped!

~HayabusaNoTsuchi Aug 12, 2012 Student General Artist

It's been said already, but thanks anyway.

*KittyNamedAlly Aug 17, 2012 Student Traditional Artist

Alright.

*Sirinava Aug 9, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

I reckon Nokari is right in the sense that if you are looking for something professional, you would want things like buttons and etc but if you just want something basic for light work, you could opt for less. I would assume you have never used a digital pen for art or you wouldnt pass off the tool as "a mouse shaped like a pen". The professionals use buttons and high sensitivity features regularly and are very picky about them.

If you just want the basics, buy a cheap one. Simple as.

~HayabusaNoTsuchi Aug 9, 2012 Student General Artist

I said in my first sentence that I've used a tablet. This isn't so much about me trying to buy a tablet as it is trying to understand how they work more fully.

!Kokoro-soma Aug 9, 2012

For me a tablet is just a tablet....I got myself the cheapest bamboo they had to offer...
I couldn't be happier with it....

!Kokoro-soma Aug 9, 2012

And yes, It does turn your mouse into a pen But in a way that you can control it just like you would control a real pen.

`nokari Aug 9, 2012 Professional Interface Designer

Size, degree of sensitivity/accuracy, programmable buttons, touch-screen vs. not touch-screen, pen options, and quality of materials. These should all be fairly obvious why there are differences in prices between tablets, especially size. If you have no experience with tablets, then pick a Bamboo and compare their specs so you know what sets them apart and why their prices are different. It's no different than comparing cars or TVs.

~HayabusaNoTsuchi Aug 9, 2012 Student General Artist

Except that a tablet's only purpose is to make your mouse shaped like a pen. A car has hundreds of aspects that play direct roles in how it functions and TVs vary in price based on picture quality, inputs and outputs, size, and mass. Everything you've described for tablets are pretty negligible to the actual performance of the hardware and are simply there for convenience or preference.

`nokari Aug 9, 2012 Professional Interface Designer

You're really oversimplifying and ignoring the obvious differences between different tablets. I think that's why you can't get past the difference in prices.

A car has hundreds of aspects that play direct roles in how it functions and TVs vary in price based on picture quality

A tablet is also like that. Again, there are different sizes, they have additional features besides just being a tablet, and the quality between models is different. Clearly a 6" surface is going to offer half as much accuracy as a 12" surface and will force you to adjust how you draw. A smaller tablet means smaller strokes have to be made and doing details will require you to zoom in on your art more than you would with a larger tablet.

Everything you've described for tablets are pretty negligible to the actual performance of the hardware and are simply there for convenience or preference.

Most about cars and TVs are just as negligible to their performance when it comes to comparing one model to another. Also not all that I described about tablets is negligible to their performance, which you are ignoring. Pressure sensitivity and accuracy most certainly makes a big difference in a tablet's performance. To add, some of the more expensive tablets offer a greater range of pen tilt sensitivity (e.g. 70 degrees compared to only 30 degrees). That certainly affects the ability to use brushes in ways that produce different effects than just moving a mouse around the screen... Programmable buttons also make an obvious difference to a person's workflow and speed while working. Regardless of whether you care for the extra differences discussed, anything extra added to ANY product or the use of better quality materials will increase a product's price.

You asked what the differences are and you got real, legitimate answers. If you think none of those things matters to buying a tablet, then close this topic and go buy whatever cheapest tablet you can find, or don't buy a tablet.

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