Wacom Cintiq alternatives

[NJR]

Hello everyone. Illustrator/Digital art hobbyist here. I've been wanting to get an on-screen tablet drawing tool for a long while now, but have never been willing to drop the kind of money required for a Cintiq - especially based on the reviews I have read they just don't seem high quality enough to be worth the very high prices. A digitizer glued to a marginal 20 inch display isn't worth $2k - $2.5k if you aren't going through your company's purchasing department.

So, I've been a longtime user of their 'regular' tablets, and have been using the medium/large Intuos 3 for many years. It's fine but I would still like an on-screen solution to speed up my workflow.

I've also been using my iPad and a stylus, but the capacitive technology does not provide the line accuracy I would like, although it seems fine for more general painting.

So I've been looking for alternatives. Really any kind of solution is open to me. Whether it be a cheaper brand of Wacom style monitor, or a convertable laptop, or Android tablet - whatever.

I was looking at the new Note 10.1, but was disappointed to see a low screen res and quality, as well as still lagging app support compared to the iPad.

I know there are a lot of other budget conscience and starving artist types here. What do you all use?

I saw this on amazon and it looks like it would be adequate for the price.

http://www.amazon.com/Brand-Yiynova-...DateDescending

Anyone have experience with this? For only $300...

I might also hold out on impressions of that JaJa iPad stylus. Currently an iPad 1 user, but if that thing is well received I would probably just get a new iPad.

[Arshes Nei]

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=238294

[Lemon1986]

Look up for bosto kingtee, 19" and 2048 pressure levels for $500

[darkmagistric]

Although the app selection is horrid, I can vouche that the Galaxy Note 10.1 is very nice option. Layerpaint is good enough for me.

A Convertiable Tablet PC would also be a good option. The HP 2730p (Core2duo) and 2740p (i5) convertible tablets can be found easily off ebay for $300-$500.

Now as far as the Resolution is concerned......Apple has spoiled everyone on that.

The Hp 2730/40ps, Asus Ep121.....and pretty much the vast majority of 12.1 inch tablet PCs have a resolution of 1280x800...which is the same Resolution that that Galaxy Note 10.1 has..only the Galaxy Note's screen is two inches smaller. Even the Cintiq 12wx only has 1280x800

The more pixals you pack into the screen, the more thats going to drain the battery, and in the case of Tablet PCs and the Galaxy Note, the Wacom Digitizer also adds to the battery drain. Most likely the reason why they limited the Galaxy Note 10.1 to 1280x800 is because they wanted it to have decent battery life.

Although a higher res would be nice....1280x800 is more then adequate.

And by Comparision

The Bosto Kingtee 19 incher only has a res of 1440x900

And the Yinova 10 incher has a res of 1024x600

The only real Cintiq Alternative thats going to have a better resolution is the soon the be released Samsung S7H (Smart PC Pro), which will have a 1920x1080 res in an 11.6 inch screen. (the current 11.6 inch S7S only has 1366x768)

[Cheeeeez]

If you had a Mac, iPen2 would be a choice.
Pressure Sensitive is available and looks OK.
http://kck.st/WJty1S

It just cost you $99~$199.

[BlackBirdCD]

I've gotta chime in on my experience with an iPad3, Procreate, and a pressure-sensitive stylus. Like you I've wanted a Cintiq, but the price put me off - instead I've pursued digital illustration with a quality Wacom Intuos and Photoshop - until I was given my first iPad last October. I wasn't expecting the drawing experience to be anything short of disappointing, but I was wrong. Several apps will give you what you need on the iPad including Sketchbook Pro, ArtRage, and my personal favorite (which wins by a landslide), Procreate. It's definitely worth considering.

First thing to keep in mind, this combination isn't a Cintiq and doesn't pretend to be. It's easily 80% of what you would ever want from a Cintiq, maybe more. You're not going to get the same pen performance as you would get on an Intuos or Cintiq, but you get more than enough to be effective and have a really great time. For one thing, with a tablet you've got an always-ready, portable art studio at your fingertips. I haven't drawn or painted more with any device than I have with this iPad and Procreate, and that has a lot to do with the fact that you can take it anywhere without the need of a dedicated CPU attached to your screen.

I'm currently using a Pogo Connect as a pressure-sensitive stylus, but I had a ton of fun with the Wacom Bambo and Adonit Jot Pro - neither of which has any kind of pressure sensitivity.

Comparing the iPad to the Galaxy Note 10.1 -
A good friend of mine, also a designer/artist, just purchased a Galaxy Note 10.1 and we're going to compare notes. He couldn't decide between the Galaxy or iPad, but went with the Wacom-enabled Android tablet. So far he's enjoying it quite a bit. The iPad wins on screen resolution (Procreate allows you to work with 4K resolution files!), and the Galaxy has a better, Wacom-based stylus system. Procreate is currently only available on the iPad, but Sketchbook Pro can be used on both.

Most of the images on my portfolio were recently done with Procreate on an iPad3, and most were done in under 1-2 hours:

http://www.christopher-doll.com/my-p...tive-artistic/

Ignore the scale models and acrylic painting in there

Do I still want an Cintiq? YES! But this is such a great combination it merits attention. As for me, I've been a professional designer in the software industry for over 17 years, but have recently (in the last year) turned my attention to digital illustration and art. The dust came off my Intuos3 last year, and I've been having a blast revisiting skills I first learned at a Fine Art college where I got my BFA in Industrial Design. I've worked with traditional media, and just about every graphics tool available for digital designers. From a usability standpoint, the tablet drawing experience was far more comfortable and accessible than I'd imagined. If I had my choice, I'd prefer a 20-inch tablet with full-on Wacom capability - but I don't see that happening any time soon (except for Panasonic's wonderfully bizarre 4K tablet shown recently at CES).

[NJR]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

As I wrote in my original post, I do have an iPad, and find it quite adequate for artwork. The software is great, and I feel at home there painting, but for illustrations it leaves me wanting. I still have a 1st gen iPad, so I haven't really been able to take advantage of the many improvements to these apps, or the new hardware out there like the JaJa Stylus. Yet I still crave that pin point accuracy because I have always enjoyed illustration more than painting (I have severe color blindness, painting is stressful ).

While I researched some of the options here, I have made no purchases since creating this thread. Nothing seems to strike that balance of price, functionality, power, and form factor. Getting a new iPad with the Jaja or similar stylus is still an option for me. However, I have been VERY impressed by what I've seen of the Surface Pro. This thing seems to have it all, the form factor, plenty of power under the hood, 1080p, and stylus support. In addition, I get Windows 8 so I can run REAL Sketchbook Pro and Art Rage or whatever else. All for $1k? Not a bad deal... Still waiting for reviews though because I don't think the Stylus uses Wacom tech, and I want more detail on how it works.

I think ultimately it will come down to upgrading the iPad or getting a Pro.

Beautiful lighting on you work there, BlackBird!

[cybeo]

I own an iPad and have the Wacom Bamboo and Adonit Jot Pro stylus and they are terrible compared to the Note 10.1 digitiser.
Equally the Note 10.1 S-Pen doesn't compare very well to the Cintiq's pen. The Cintiq, I have to admit, is in a league of it's own.

The problem I have with the Note 10.1 is that the S-pen has a rubbery nib which is suppose to provide more grip, but the screen is very slippery, so at times the control isn't perfect, whereas with the Cintiq one has complete control at all times.

With the iPad and a capacitive stylus the rubber tip creates too much unpredictable friction, and I'm not fond of the Adonit's little plastic pad that provides a feedback when the edge touches the screen and then another feedback when it is properly seated. Just doesn't feel right, plus the offset is about 2mm above the nib and this changes left to right as you move the stylus. That's way from being a perfect solution. One has to spend a lot of time getting used to it but it's like night and day switching between an ipad and the Note 10.1. Sketching on the Note 10.1 is very good.

My ratings for these devices . . .

Cintiq 21UX

Sketching / Painting - 10 / 10

Note 10.1

Sketching / Painting - 7 / 6

iPad

Sketching / Painting - 3 / 4