Intuos5 - mini review
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 2:26 pm
Hi all,
About a week or so after having seen the new Intuos 5 at an exhibition - and held off buying, my pen died on my Intuos 2. So I now have a new Intuos 5 on my desk.
Here are some initial thoughts in case anyone's thinking of buying:
Overall - feels well constructed and solid in the usual Wacom fashion.
The tablet surface is much improved over the Intuos 2 - much less slippery and much more paper like feel. I understand it's the same surface as in the later Intuos 4 models. I find it good to work on.
There are two variations on the medium tablet - pen only, or pen and touch. I went for the pen only - lower cost and from my experience trying the 5 at an exhibition the touch functionality didn't do much for me. Since buying I've stumbled across some info (on the Wacom forum) that made me glad I'd gone this route. The drawing surface is only user replaceable on the pen only tablet. Apparently the touch sensors are closely integrated into the surface, so pen and touch users will have to send their tablets back to Wacom for service if the surface ever needs replacing. Cost unknown.
The add-on wireless functionality seems to work pretty well, although I have to have the tiny USB wireless sensor plugged into a front port - I get occasional lock-ups if it's hidden around the back.
A few things I'm not so keen on:
The tablet has a detachable USB cable - either for wired working, or for charging if you're working wirelessly. The USB connector that plugs into the tablet is one of the small designs and the connector itself sticks out of the side of the tablet at right angles. IMO it's bit too vulnerable. I can easily imagine it getting knocked against something and getting damaged.
The touch ring works well - but rotation in Ps is jerky - much less smooth than using the R keyboard short-cut. At first I thought this might be a wireless issue - but it's not. It's workable, but not ideal.
The biggest negative point for me are the buttons - they are much harder to press than I'd like. Apparently they are the same as those used in the Intuos 4 - but, covered in rubber, are significantly harder to press.
Overall I'd give it 4 out of 5.
About a week or so after having seen the new Intuos 5 at an exhibition - and held off buying, my pen died on my Intuos 2. So I now have a new Intuos 5 on my desk.
Here are some initial thoughts in case anyone's thinking of buying:
Overall - feels well constructed and solid in the usual Wacom fashion.
The tablet surface is much improved over the Intuos 2 - much less slippery and much more paper like feel. I understand it's the same surface as in the later Intuos 4 models. I find it good to work on.
There are two variations on the medium tablet - pen only, or pen and touch. I went for the pen only - lower cost and from my experience trying the 5 at an exhibition the touch functionality didn't do much for me. Since buying I've stumbled across some info (on the Wacom forum) that made me glad I'd gone this route. The drawing surface is only user replaceable on the pen only tablet. Apparently the touch sensors are closely integrated into the surface, so pen and touch users will have to send their tablets back to Wacom for service if the surface ever needs replacing. Cost unknown.
The add-on wireless functionality seems to work pretty well, although I have to have the tiny USB wireless sensor plugged into a front port - I get occasional lock-ups if it's hidden around the back.
A few things I'm not so keen on:
The tablet has a detachable USB cable - either for wired working, or for charging if you're working wirelessly. The USB connector that plugs into the tablet is one of the small designs and the connector itself sticks out of the side of the tablet at right angles. IMO it's bit too vulnerable. I can easily imagine it getting knocked against something and getting damaged.
The touch ring works well - but rotation in Ps is jerky - much less smooth than using the R keyboard short-cut. At first I thought this might be a wireless issue - but it's not. It's workable, but not ideal.
The biggest negative point for me are the buttons - they are much harder to press than I'd like. Apparently they are the same as those used in the Intuos 4 - but, covered in rubber, are significantly harder to press.
Overall I'd give it 4 out of 5.