Wacom tablets

I'm sure this question been asked a few times, but sometimes answers refer to older models, so I'll ask again:
I'm doing mostly some basic photo retouching, although I'm actively learning PS and I saw in a few instructional videos the use of Wacom tablets.
What I'm looking for is an advice on which tablet to get: Bamboo Fun vs. Intuos4 Small (they cost the same) or shell out another $100 and go for Intuos4 Medium?
I'm not doing any drawing or graphic designing.

Thanks in advance,
Aleness

The higher res and added feature of the Intuos4 is what I would want. I do think the Medium is the perfect size, but Id still rather have an Intuos4 vs a Bamboo Fun.

The multi-touch functionality of the Bamboo Fun gets REALLY annoying when you're trying to use it as a pen tablet. Other than that, while the resolution difference is unlikely to be noticeable (they're both quite high enough), only the Intuos provides pen tilt information, which can be useful with some tools.

I'd also say the Medium is an ideal size - larger sizes require lots of arm movement, which gets tiring, but Small is just too teeny to be useful.

Monoprice 10x6.25 tablet for $50

solara wrote in post #10960625
Monoprice 10x6.25 tablet for $50

As I understand these are a budget/hacked version of the Wacom tablets, aren't they? Do you have a personal experience working with them?
Never heard of them before.
I'll take a closer look.
Thanks.

What size monitor? Widescreen? Single or dual screen?
I used to use a 4x5" Graphire. Bit too small, now gets used with my laptop.
On my desktop (dual screen) I use an Intuos 3, A5 wide. Ideal size.
At work I use an Intuos3, A3. Too big IMO.

I'd go for small (that's A6 wide IIRC) or medium, depending on monitor(s) used and need for portability. (I was told at the Photokina today that the small one will fit a 15" laptop bag )

You might want to look for a (used) Intuos3 instead of an Intuos4. IMO the 4 offers little advantage. YMMV.

I have a Intuos4 Medium and I can comfortably say that, from image capture to final print, it's one of my most valuable tools. Nice thing about the Intuos4 is the left/right hand compatibility (if you need it) and the great thing about the Med vs the Small is the LCD readout of the (programmable) button functions, in addition to more real estate/finer control.

WhyFi wrote in post #10969292
Nice thing about the Intuos4 is the left/right hand compatibility (if you need it) and the great thing about the Med vs the Small is the LCD readout of the (programmable) button functions

That's why I actually prefer the intuos3: Buttons and "scroll strip" on both sides. I can remember what 8 keys do without a display. It looks nice though

It looks WAY cooler!

Thanks guys. I'll probably look for used Intuos3.

Yes I use the monoprice - works very well and a great way to get a feel for tablets at only 50 bucks - you can't go wrong either way.

I ordered the Bamboo fun from B&H Photo (just missed the Succos holiday deadline, so it won't be here until Oct 7th - boo!). I LOVE the touch pad on my new MB Pro, so I was especially intrigued with the fun's capability in that area. Also, many people said it's convenient to have a mouse to use in conjunction with the tablet (for non-photo-editing applications), so it seemed like a natural fit in that area too - no mouse needed = less desktop clutter.

Felt like I researched until I was blue in the face, and this is the first mention I've seen of the touch feature causing problems when trying to use a pen. I can see where that may be a problem, though. Hopefully it's not a big deal for me. Guess we'll find out, huh?

Personally, I'd stay away from a used tablet. I'm not big on any used electronics, but this seems like one item that I would especially try to avoid used...

My experience is from supporting 200+ artists at a VFX company - of those that were given Bamboo tablets, the majority wanted the touch functionality disabled.

Something to bear in mind with used tablets - the pens are what get lost/broken/rolled over/eaten by the cat, and Wacom stop making replacements the moment a new model comes out (and the pens aren't backwards compatible). So you end up with a perfectly good, but unusable, tablet.

Rabies wrote in post #10988814
Something to bear in mind with used tablets - the pens are what get lost/broken/rolled over/eaten by the cat, and Wacom stop making replacements the moment a new model comes out (and the pens aren't backwards compatible). So you end up with a perfectly good, but unusable, tablet.

Hmm, didn't know about the backward compatibility. Thanks for the heads up.

For Lightroom and Photoshop work, isn't the Intuos line built for that stuff? I have the 30" ACD and 17" MBP, and plan to buy one for doing Lr and Ps work on these, do you all think the Med is the best size for those two displays? I think it will mainly be used on my 30" ACD/Mac Pro machine.