Graphics Tablet

[Generic Eric]

I have been wanting to get one of those drawing tablets for my PC.  Do any of you that do professional Graphics art use these?  Any recomendations.  Heck even if you aren't a professional, do you have any recommendations.

[Frostillicus]

I use a 22" wacom tablet, but only for photoshop.  I can move around better in illustrator, 3dmax and windows just using my mouse.   But the pressure-feel/erase feature is top-notch for photoshop.  My tablet can operate either as a 'tablet' direct correllation to position on tablet to position on screen) or 'mouse'(doesn't matter where the pen is).  
I'd recommend wacom - their drivers and programmable software have never failed me once in xp(and it's an older tablet).  
If you want my model number I can post that this afternoon when I go home for lunch.

[Generic Eric]

I would like the model number.   What did you pay if you don't mind me asking?

[Frostillicus]

I have the 18" x 12" Wacom UD-1218-R serial.  I don't know why I keep thinking 22", maybe that's the diagonal.  Anyway I got it from work(they couldn't figure out how to use it and gave it to me, turns out it just needed a power supply )

Unless you can find an old one on ebay, I think new large tablets are quite expensive at ~700 bucks or so.  

[Generic Eric]

Oh my.  Thats a tish out of my price range as I wouldn't be using it for work.  So let me ask if you are expierenced with any of the smaller ones.  
Are you?
So now that I have asked, do the smaller ones hinder you at all?

[radiator]

i got a cheap A3 size tablet off eBay (can't remember the name - didn't even recognise the manufacturer) and it works great

just make sure you get one with a high DPI, and pressure sensitive is a must (128 levels at least)

 

[Frostillicus]

here here.. i would never pay that, I just got lucky.   I know there are some really nice smaller ones out there..go to wacom.com and see if you like their stuff.    The tablet is pretty cool, especially since the pen doesn't have batteries and uses some funky radio wave oscillation from the tablet surface to power it.  It even senses what angle the pen is at and switches to the eraser tool automatically when I flip the pen over.   Just saying it's got a high level of coolness    Good luck