Wacom BAMBOO Product Review

I do a lot of editing and drawing using Photoshop Elements 5.0 and I've always wanted to use a Wacom tablet because of the expanded control you get using a pen compared to a mouse. I thought I needed a large version of the tablet but it was a little beyond my budget ($3000!). I checked the price on the smaller Bamboo and was amazed but I was a little concerned with the seemingly small size. So I conducted an experiment - I cut out a piece of paper that was equal in size to the Bamboo working area and I started drawing and realized the 4 X 6 inch working area would do just fine. So I ordered it on Amazon (see prices and models below) and it arrived in just a few days.

Click the thumbnails to your right to see my results. The first drawing is the line art that was used as the base. The second drawing was done using a mouse. the third drawing was done using the BAMBOO tablet and pen. The third drawing is clearly superior to the second.

Installation is incredibly simple and fast. After it's installed you just plug in the USB cable and it works. You can even leave your mouse plugged in and go back and forth between the mouse and the pen although eventually you'll get so used to the pen that you may never use a mouse again. When you're done you just unplug the USB cable - no need to wait for a "safe removal".

The product quality is excellent and the performance is better than expected. I highly recommend this product for this price. If you don't already have Photoshop you can add Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0, Corel Painter Essentials 3.0 and Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 GE for just a few dollars more. Had I known this I would not have purchased Photoshop separately.

Oh, and people stop and stare and comment on how cool it is ALL THE TIME!