Wacom tablets

It takes getting used to. Read weeks. I think the main advantage is not to get rid of your scanner, but to navigate your system overall faster and do retouching work much faster.

I've had two in the past and both of them ended up in the trash. I just couldn't get used to them, and yes... I gave each a couple of months worth of getting used to.

Old dogs and new tricks I suppose.

I do have friends that swear by them and they do help with productivity.

But then again... I AM billing for time. :)

I own an Intuos4... been using it for a year or so. I mainly use it for illustration, coloring and that sort of stuff.
Now, when it comes to sketching for a graphic design piece -say a logo or a poster- I still prefer paper and pencil. This is because I like to work faster, rotate the paper, draw a bunch of ideas in a short period of time and make quick adjustments. The tablet doesn't allow me to work this fast when sketching, even though it has a "touch ring" that allows me to rotate the canvas in PS, it's not the same. Of course, it's another story for illustration, that is something I do much slower and, yes, the tablet helps A LOT.
I do not know where do you live, but here, in Argentina, a wacom tablet is a pretty expensive thing and I would only buy it for illustration purposes.

I'm Intuos 3
Can't work without it.

i used one years ago for exactly what youre talking about, and they can come in handy.
my step-daughter draws anime/manga stuff with a wacom bamboo, and it makes all the difference in what she does.

i know a number of people who use them as their main input device. designers, video editors, 3d-artists. and they all love them.

the one i had, i think it was called the "art-z" had a plastic overlay you could put papers under for sketching reference. that was cool. im not sure if they have that anymore.

personally, im so used to a mouse now, using a pen device for onscreen work just feels odd to me.

but wacom is the best player in the game. if you want a tablet. wacom is definitely the one to use.

I have an Intuos 3 — totally changed my life. I'm left handed, so I'll use the stylus with my left hand, and hot keys and the mouse with my right; I can fly through touch-up and illustration tasks tons faster than with the mouse alone.

Do it, it opens up a whole new world.

Intuo3 for me as well. It's great doing my illustrations digitally - but when inspiration hits, I still prefer pen and paper.

anyone had experienced the wireless model?

I'll see your tablet and raise you a bottle of ink and a nice saber brush. :)

I just joined the club and bought an Intuos 4 Wireless this week, still getting used to it and playing around with various configurations of the keys. I think once I find those perfect settings where I can command enough features directly from the tablet I will fly.

I've always been curious about tablets and thought they're fun but as far as professional purposes go- I'm more than happy with a pen, piece of paper, scanner and mouse. I like the pen tool and I'm not sure what I'd do without it. I used to have a sizable bamboo tablet a few years ago (fair sized too) and I tried to start digital painting to no avail.

I think I just don't have enough patience for it, it was returned within 2 weeks- not a bad product I just couldn't rationalize so much money being dumped into one spot when my usage of it was sub-par.

Skock laughs at the unfamiliarity of others with tablets.