New cintiq 21 out, your opinions?

[arestocrat]

http://www.wacom.com/cintiq/cintiq-21ux.php

I really like the new design with 8 express keys on each side and the touchstrips at the back. Also good to see it adapted the 2048 pressure levels from the intuos4 ... Can't wait to see some tests and customer reviews

quote: "The second-generation Cintiq 21UX has a durable, textured glass surface." Maybe similar to the feel of the intuos4? So maybe this one has the nib wear problem too?

Your opinions about it?!

[ikken]

1600x1200 @ $ 2000 again?

I don't care about redesign, but it's 2010 and 27 inch imac costs the same.

Glass surface is great, though.

I'll have to throw out all my extra-intuos pens (3 of them, sob-sob) if I upgrade.

[Anthony]

Same LCD or a newer/better one? That was the main downside of the old version imo

[arestocrat]

Same LCD or a newer/better one? That was the main downside of the old version imo

wondered that too.. under http://www.wacom.com/cintiq/cintiq-21ux-whats-new.php
they mentioned: "The Cintiq 21UX combines two powerful tools in one—an extra large professional pen tablet and a high-quality, color-accurate graphics monitor. The result is a tool that helps you work faster and more naturally."

But not a very solid statement. Would love to know how it is compared to the old version....

€:
new cintiq: see here http://www.wacom.com/cintiq/cintiq-2...ical-specs.php under display
# brightness: 200 cd/m2
#contrast: 550:1

old cintiq:
brightness of 250 cd/m2,
contrast 400:1

so they lowered the brightness even more, but improved the contrast ?
And even more confusing, on the europe wacom site the new cintiq has the stats brightness: 250 cd/m2 and contrast 550:1

[Ryan_J_M]

Promo video =)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/20853025

[alexx]

I want one. Taking donations for Alexx's po' folks fund at this time.

[nonameowns]

overkill for me lol. but if im working in the industry and such, yea it will be nice to have that.

[macmcrae]

damn that infernal propaganda video. makes me want one. i need to figure out how to put a wacom block on my checking account.

[Elsevilla]

Probably the brightness its not a big issue, because i use mine at 60% of brightness, so if it has less i will just rise up that setting, the contrast thing, its a big plus for me.


Specially luv the extra buttons so i can finally put the keyboard away.

[Zirngibism]

Yay, it's finally out-- I knew it wouldn't be long.

But I have to say I'm really disappointed they didn't up the resolution! I really don't care about extra pressure sensitivity and buttons, I had been only hoping for a wide screen that would be more like 2000 pixels wide, because of the way I set up my UI and brushes and stuff... I mean, my LAPTOP has a higher resolution, so adjusting to less real estate is kind of going to stink.

I mean, it's still exciting, and I can finally buy one without worrying about a new one coming right after I get it, but still... can't help but sigh at the low resolution...

[macmcrae]

Probably the brightness its not a big issue, because i use mine at 60% of brightness, so if it has less i will just rise up that setting, the contrast thing, its a big plus for me.


Specially luv the extra buttons so i can finally put the keyboard away.

I have never been a fan of the wacom buttons - they usually just get in the way for me. what would be cool is an on screen keyboard like the iphone - so you can use the standard adobe shortcuts without having to learn new buttons.

[alexx]

Yay, it's finally out-- I knew it wouldn't be long.

But I have to say I'm really disappointed they didn't up the resolution! ...I had been only hoping for a wide screen that would be more like 2000 pixels wide, because of the way I set up my UI and brushes and stuff... I mean, my LAPTOP has a higher resolution...

Why wouldn't you just leave your pallets, etc., on your laptop display and keep the Cintiq clear for the work? You can use display toggle to quickly switch between screens for your pen input.

[Elsevilla]

I have never been a fan of the wacom buttons - they usually just get in the way for me. what would be cool is an on screen keyboard like the iphone - so you can use the standard adobe shortcuts without having to learn new buttons.

That can be awesome, like virtual buttons, still i liked the scroller below, so i can finally grab the edge and using my thumb to press out instead of twisting the whole hand to move the scroll bar.

[GriNGo]

This is a minor update... the thing is still big and bulky, and very expensive. I was kind of expecting them to release a 24 inch widescreen version at least. I'll just have to wait another 3-4 years (my Intuos 3 serves me well so far thankfully).

[teho]

I can't find anywhere what is the matrix inside? Is it still IPS or...? Because in "Display" there is only one spec: UXGA (1600 x 1200 pixels) and in "Perfomance" - Premium 21.3" TFT active matrix LCD display with UXGA (1600 x 1200) resolution.

[macmcrae]

It cost way too much. Wacom needs to wake up and lower the price by about $1000. They would make a killing.

[Raoul Duke]

I wish it had an actual computer, then I'd say it's worth the two grand. It's gonna happen eventually, but until then this is for designers with money in their fireplace.

[Helium Macaroni]

I'm sort of amazed at how many complaints there are about the cintiqs considering, ya know, it a screen you can paint on. When I got my 20wsx I gleefully gave away my intuos to needy friend and laughed all the way craigslist as I gave away the majority of my traditional media materials. Maybe I have some sort of drafting table nostalgia but the thing upped the speed of my painting at least two fold. I got myself one of the wireless mac keyboards, its tiny as hell and facilitates the cintiq great if I don't feel like using the hot keys on the unit. There can be discussions till Tuesday on the reliability of its microscopic differences in color calibration or other minutia but again.. screen.. paint on.

[ilyanaza]

I'd also really like to know how the new screen compares with the old one in terms of brightness and color accuracy. If anyone gets a chance to compare the two, please post your findings here.

[Zirngibism]

Why wouldn't you just leave your pallets, etc., on your laptop display and keep the Cintiq clear for the work? You can use display toggle to quickly switch between screens for your pen input.

Hmm, that's a pretty cool idea, I had not thought about that. I've never used display toggle before, I'm guessing it's instantaneous?

I also wonder how "dual monitoring" it would work, though I guess it would be a pain since I'd have to keep migrating my pen from the intuos to the cintiq every time I wanted to do something on the other screen.

But thanks for the suggestion, anyhow. It would be pretty darn cool to be able to have even more room for brushes and stuff.

[yaku]

In my case I'm damn glad they didn't improve it much. I'm raging so much because just a few months ago I finally scraped the money to get one of these giants (I don't care about intuos, I can't get used to not having my hands on what I draw) and now I find out the bastards got a new one out! they didn't even lower the price on the old one, that's what makes me even more mad. The good thing is that at least I'm using it for all its worth, but I'm starting to think wacom got too darn greedy. Lower the price on your old products!

[arestocrat]

In my case I'm damn glad they didn't improve it much. I'm raging so much because just a few months ago I finally scraped the money to get one of these giants (I don't care about intuos, I can't get used to not having my hands on what I draw) and now I find out the bastards got a new one out! they didn't even lower the price on the old one, that's what makes me even more mad. The good thing is that at least I'm using it for all its worth, but I'm starting to think wacom got too darn greedy. Lower the price on your old products!

I see what you mean, but in the EU shop the cintiq dropped to 1600 or 1700€ a few weeks before the new one came out...That's a 400-300€ saving. But I agree that they do these anouncements VERY short-term.

[Murdoc]

I was really holding off for a long time expecting a new version, I think I'll hold off a little longer to see the reviews, because from a feature list alone, I'm a little bewildered at what would make me want the new version over a less expensive older one.

[KingElvis]

lol but it already was at about 1500 at certain shops in europe new and unused. And i just checked their site and there i found an old used one for 1999€..i too think theyre greedy...as hell.

[James Thornton]

STILL 1200x1600. W.T.F. Can't you visibly see the pixel grid at normal drawing distance?

[Zombisaurus]

Note: sorry this is a bit long winded, I thought I'd just spill my guts of my impressions a few days in to owning the new Cintiq. I'd be happy to answer any questions!



Just a couple of days ago I received my brand new Cintiq 21ux (dtk2100)!

I've never personally owned a Cintiq before, but have had experience using the (now older model) 21ux at work.




Unboxing

First thing I noticed with the new model is just how nice it looks. Un-boxing it and setting it up immediately gave me a feeling of "wow, this is a nice piece of hardware. Similar styling to the Intuos 4 line.



Hardware

As far as the new hardware goes, I'm loving it! The multitude of buttons on the sides of the panel along with the new scroll bar on the back has allowed me to move even further away from my keyboard.

The new Intuos 4 style pen has a more pleasing shape and finish than my older Intuos 3 pens. The 4 style pen has it's grippy rubber seamlessly integrated into the barrel instead of feeling like it's wrapped around it. The side buttons are also angled slightly differently, and in general they feel more natural to use.

The 2048 levels of pressure on the pen are immediately noticeable, and since I've used an Intuos 2/3 for so long, it actually took me a few minutes to adjust. Awesome.

Also of small note is the power adapter brick has been shrunk down in size quite a bit. However, the giant stiff monitor/USB/power cable is still the same.




Software

Maybe it's the new buttons, maybe it's something else but I've done a lot more customizing on this Cintiq than on any other. The software also has a function that brings up a screen overlay to tell you what all your customized buttons are doing in real time. In sketchbook and Zbrush I hardly ever need more than what is on my Cintiq.




Screen

Something that I was admittedly a little confused about was the construction of the screen. On the Wacom website, they describe the screen as having a "The second-generation Cintiq 21UX has a durable, textured glass surface.". I assumed this meant it was a new feature, and the screen material/construction would be a step up from the last gen.

Somehow I got it in my mind that the new "glass surface" would be similar to an iPhone/iPad, and feel less "plasticy" and flexible than the older Cintiqs.

Comparing my last gen and current gen Cintiq, there are subtle differences, but not what I was hoping for. They generally feel exactly the same.

For those of you who have used the last gen 21ux, the screen will feel a tiny bit slicker / smoother. There is slightly less of a texture to it. There is also a slight bit more glare, but overall the panel looks nicer than the last gen. (Although this could partly be because the last gen 21ux I used has been operating long work weeks for over a year)


I contacted Wacom support to ask why the new "glass" screen feels so similar to the last gen's "plastic" screen. I got this response:

The new surface is glass. In fact, it is the same glass that was on the last generation Cintiq21 but all of the anti-glare (AG) coating is on the rear of the glass and not the front of the glass. This will stop the AG coating from wearing as the unit is used

So apparently the last gen Cintiq21 and the brand new one both use a glass screen. There must be a lot of plexi- in Wacom's plexiglas because they both feel plastic to me.


Overall

Overall I'm happy with the purchase. I'm excited to keep using it and figure out new ways to customize the interface to streamline my work. Feel free to ask any questions.