Mouse Tablet

One of the most important aspects in finding the right graphics tablet for your needs is figuring out what niche or demographic you fit into. Companies like Wacom have been trying to figure out the same thing from the opposite end, and have been refining their models to try to suit the individual needs of different user types. Their latest model, the Bamboo Tablet and the Bamboo Fun Tablet is a replacement for their older Graphire model and does a great job at bringing Wacom quality at a more affordable price than their more expensive Intuos model.

So what are the features of the Bamboo, and what's the difference between the standard and the Fun models? First of all, the Bamboo was given its name because it's thinner than the other Wacom models like the Intuos4. The dimensions are made for wide format monitors, and the size of your monitor should largely determine the size of tthe tablet as a larger sized tablet would be wasted on a 15" monitor. The other reason the Bamboo got its name is that the surface is rougher than the standard smooth and sometimes slippery surface of other tablet models. This gives the feel of drawing on the tablet a more natural, organic feel. The tablet has about 500 levels of pressure sensitivity and about a 2500 line per inch resolution.

The difference between the standard Bamboo and the Bamboo Fun is primarily in what you plan to use it for. If you are a creative type, mostly using it for drawing and photo editing, then the Bamboo Fun is your best bet. Part of the fun is also that it comes in four different color models. The main features that the Intuos offers over the Bamboo is angle sensitivity (which is only important for airbrushing) and larger tablet sizes, but you pay for what you get in substantially greater cost. For a reasonable price, it's still possible to buy a Graphire, which is a bit of a cross between the Intuos and the Bamboo with additional blue-tooth wireless support, but the wireless support is not that useful as you rarely find reason to draw far from your monitor as you wouldn't be able to see what you're drawing.

So I'd definitely recommend purchasing the Bamboo, especially the medium sized Bamboo Fun. The textured surface is a nice touch that's not available in most other models, however you should take note that the texture wears down nibs fasters, sometimes to a sharp point that can scratch the surface. If you're willing to spend the extra money, the Intuos is definitely a great buy as well.

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