Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great product....
Comment: I wanted a Wacom tablet for some time now but kept holding back. I finally decided to get one for Christmas and very glad that I did!! I generally use it for photography work in CS3 and Adobe Lightroom. I dont like it over the mouse while browsing the web or while emailing, but I definitely love it while editing photos!!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Value, Excellent Product
Comment: I received the tablet as a gift, been wanting it for a while but never got around to buying it. I'm an amateur photographer so that's why I mainly wanted it. If I bought it myself, I probably would have bought the larger one, but since someone else was asking for gift suggestions, I made this one (the smaller one) since I wanted them to spend less than $100 on me.
Anyway, works beautifully! I love it! I use Photoshop Elements and it has really improved how I use the product and how I can edit photos. I was tired of using a mouse to try to make selections or paint fine brush strokes. This product not only functionality makes it easier, it makes it more fun as well. You can also use it instead of a mouse to navigate, but that takes getting used to since a point on the pad corresponds to a point on the screen, whereas unlike a mouse, you are scrolling and "reseting" position to keep scrolling. But you can set the pad to work like a mouse as well.
It comes with 4 programmable buttons which is ultra useful. The only quirk w/ Photoshop elements is that the zoom dial (in between the buttons) doesn't zoom in Photoshop elements, but it does in other apps. No problem, I programmed two of the other buttons to zoom in and out. IN addition, the pen itself has two programmable buttons so you can do things like right click or whatever other function. You can also fine tune the pen's sensitivity to pressure. IF you want a lighter touch, no problem. I can't say enough how much it has improved my photo editing. I went back to photos where I used a mouse to make difficult "selections" and the improvement is vast.
Plus, you can do things with the pen that you simply can't with the mouse. B?c the pen has 512 sensitivity points, you can blend so much easier. A mouse has one sensitivity spot (or two, if you want to count if its not touching anything). For instance, if I want to blend in a selection, I can do this with the pen by making progressively lighter pen strokes (this affects the opacity of the stroke). With a mouse this would be cumbersome if not downright impossible.
I didn't find any problems some of the other people have had - it writes where I want it to. At first, its a little "difficult" to get used to it, and by that, i mean it takes 15-30 minutes to figure out where on the tablet is on the screen. Plus, if you hover over the pad with the pen (not touching the pad actually), it'll move the cursor so you can figure things out that way too.
My only "gripe" with it, and this is just something I need to get used to, is that when I want to make a very hard brush stroke, it feels like I'm really pushing down REALLY hard on the pen and pad. So, I've noticed areas where I want 100% opacity actually be less b/c I applied less pressure. You can of course adjust the sensitivity and I do that when I am making big areas where I need "hard" brush strokes (just make the pen more sensitive). But that's my only gripe - it feels like I'm almost "jabbing" into the pad to make really dark areas (getting to the 512th point of pressure).
Like another reviewer mentioned - if you don't have Vista, you can't really just "write" on any document. Initially I was also under the impression I could open up Outlook and draw a diagram to email (I have XP), and you can't do that. Not a big deal. More my fault b/c if you do read the website it does make that note. It works well with a lot of different programs. Photoshop Elements is supported, but not quite to its full capacity, but if you have Photoshop CS, you get all of the functionality... but Elements provides everyhing I need. Even in MS Paint it works well (but pressure sensitivity won't work here).
All in all, for my uses this is one AWESOME tool and wish I got it sooner. Its taken the dread out of making those complex area selections (like painting in a face or something), I make less mistakes and I'm quicker.
Would I recommend this product? Absolutely! If you are an amateur photog who does a lot of post processing of your photos in Elements or whatever editor, you'll find this a lifesaver. Even the small tablet, whcih I have, isn't a hindrance. Its good enough for me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: the most entertaining gizmo around.
Comment: just as the title says, although.........ive had it since Christmas and it seems the point of the pen has slightly become worn and a bit rugged.
:i use it for drawing online nice and quickly and easilly , with the accuracy and beauty i need for my drawings and it compares to that of paper quality from my hands.
: use the digital theremin simulator 1.5 which is a synthesized musical instrument that can be played with the wacom tablet and works awesome
though im not sounding enthusiastic, it is the coolest piece of anything i ever had.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Works great. Excellent device!
Comment: Just got the Bamboo Wacom tabled (small). Been using it for about a week now. Works very well on my G4 Powerbook running 10.4. Doesn't quite replace the mouse, but excellent for drawing in Photoshop and writing Chinese characters.
OSX 10.4 includes handwriting recognition, so you can pretty much "write anywhere," however, the handwriting recognition doesn't recognize anything except English and a few other latin languages. Vista also has handwriting recognition, but I haven't tried that. Nor have I tried the Bamboo on XP. The documentation says it's plug-n-play for XP, Vista and OSX. You will want to install the driver and software to be able to customize eveything (sensitivity, customizable buttons, etc).
If someone knows how to get it to recognize Chinese, then please tell me!
Also, not sure what the difference is between the Bamboo and the Bamboo Fun (the Fun is newer and more expensive) but for basic use, the Bamboo is all you really need.
Some things I am pleased with:
+pressure sensitivity really works, press harder for bolder strokes
+pen doesn't need batteries
+Small size is perfect for writing Chinese and drawing in Photoshop. Actually, I'd prefer it to be a little smaller. The area you write on (active area) mimics the desktop, so pressing in the upper right of the pad will mouse you up to the upper right corner of your screen. If you get too big of a pad your hand will have to do a lot of moving.
+turn the pen over and the back side is an electronic "eraser"
Complaints
-buttons on the pen get pressed accidentally every once in a while. You can disable the buttons or learn to hold it correctly
-USB port location on the tablet is on top (upper left). I'd like to have another port on the side so I can press it up against my laptop.
Bottom line - absolutely no regrets.
Customer Rating:
Summary: FABULOUS!!
Comment: The Bamboo Pen tablet is probably the most fantastic piece of software I've ever used. I've only been using it for a few days, and am new to drawing on/with the computer.
Having only used pencils and pens, the Bamboo pen feels great in my hand and feels really natural. My favorite part is you flip it over and erase with the larger end, just like a real pencil.
At first, the 'drawing' area seems small when you take it out of the box, but it works very well in relativity to the size of my monitor. I don't feel crammed into a small spot or anything at all. The little pen holder is really convenient too, so you don't lose the pen and it'll always be at hand.
I was surprised to realize that hovering the pen above the surface moves the cursor all over the screen (told you I was a noob to drawing on the computer.) I love that I can just use it instead of my mouse, and that's a great way to inadvertently practice and have my hand learn where to go to get to things. And to ease scrolling, there's a little finger pad at the top for scrolling and zoom.
Wonderful product!! I've already drawn things, written notes, and totally edited skin and makeup onto a photo in the last 4 days. I recommend this to anyone who wants a new art medium. (and you CAN'T beat the price!)
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