Intuous5 Touch Professional Pen Tablet Review (PTH-650-EN)

In the graphic design universe, Wacom has become the definitive name in tablets. Most graphic artists and Adobe aficionados will break into something of a cold sweat when ponding the swap from loyal mouse to unknown tablet - but there can be some remarkable improvements to your life if you pick the right product. KitGuru feared losing a limb, but was actually pleasantly surprised by the Wacom Intuous5 Pen and Touch Medium Graphics Tablet. We rapidly overcame the inevitable disconnect between eye and hand. The Intuous5 pro medium has been designed to capture the eye of pro designers. But could it do more for other users as an entry level tablet? We spent around ten days testing the latest Wacom device to see if it could cut the mustard and actually become a replacement for the faithful standard, the optical mouse. We soon discovered that Wacom have included in this range of tablets a touch of genius for the dedicated followers of all that is Apple, and even PC users. Not only is this a tablet, but it also includes many of the features of the Apple track pad. Users can pinch and expand their digits to their hearts content, which we found to be a useful feature that has the capability of capturing a wider audience than just the dedicated graphic designer. Active Area 8.8" x 5.5" (224 x 140 mm) Giving 48.4 square inches of working area. Physical Size 15" x 9.9" x 0.5" (380 x 251 x 12 mm) Multi-Finger Touch (aka Apple track pad) Set Up: Left or right handed programmable CD software install (or download drivers) USB Wired Connection (RF wireless kit sold seperately) Compatibility: Mac and PC. Programmable keys: 8 programmable ExpressKeys 4 function user-definable Touch Ring controls Technological brief: Max Data Rate - 200 pps Pen Accuracy +/- 0.01" (0.25 mm) Pressure Levels 2048 Resolution 5080 lpi (lines per inch) Tilt Sensitivity +/- 60 degrees Weight 2.18 lbs. (990 g) The Pen: Cup Holder for the pen 11 nibs - including a sprung loaded nib Easy nib changer Colour co-ordinated rings for the pen Accessories available: RF wireless kit Wide grip Air brush grip A variety of nibs The medium tablet arrives in a decently packaged box, complete with carry handle. You cannot see inside the box, but the external graphics shows what you will be getting quite nicely. The basic features are shown on the reverse of the packaging with clear numeric labels on the tablet and alongside the short descriptions. The main box slides out of the outer sleeve revealing a plain black cardboard “briefcase”. Opening the “briefcase” you can see the install CD, guarantee and instructions first, sitting on a solid robust formed piece of cardboard. Lift the formed cardboard and the tablet is revealed. The tablet, the pen, and the pen cup holder are all packaged in the same sturdy formed cardboard. Lift the tablet, and the USB lead is revealed. All in all this is a nicely packaged piece of kit. As soon as you are hooked up lights on the surface of the tablet light up showing the area of the screen, and what function the scroll wheel is set to. These are subtle and non intrusive. The 8 programmable ExpressKeys are set above and below the programmable wheel. All can be programmed, but are chiefly designed to be used for scrolling, or as quick keys in graphics packages. It would be good to have more of these keys. You soon run out of programmable options when using heavy graphics packages. The tablet does not take up a huge amount of space, bearing in mind that it is the equivalent width of our 27” iMac (or whatever size screen you are using). This is a pleasant surprise as it does not feel imposing or intrusive on the desk. It just sort of, well, fits. Each long edge of the tablet is nicely curved. Your wrist has no edges to cause discomfort. Far less occurrences of RSI, in comparison to a mouse, spring to mind. For a leftie, the USB lead has a nice little touch. A clip for the lead ensures it stays in the direction of your computer if using the tablet the “wrong” way round! However, having a wire for a device is old hat today. The RF wireless kit should be built in rather than being an accessory. A battery is also not included. This is another major oversight. I tire of buying devices only to have to buy accessories that are fundamental to the use of a device post purchase! For the security conscious there is a tether point to which a security cable (purchased separately) can be fitted. Underneath the tablet there are soft pads that ensure the tablet stays put. The pen is quite light. It bulges towards the nib, giving considerable grip. I can imagine that one size may not fit all in this regard, and smaller hands may find this grip a little to large and cumbersome. Different grips can be purchased but nothing smaller. The pen comes with a nib fitted and it also hosts a rocker type button. These act as a right click, and double click respectively. The use of these buttons is the hardest thing to adapt too. You can click them accidentally. The pen also has a cushioned “eraser” on its head. The response of the tablet is extremely fast. The benchmark for us was using it with Sketch Book Pro. Drawing and pressure, when applied to the pen, made the pencil on screen change in shade immediately without any noticeable time lag. When using the tablet as a replacement for a mouse, when searching the web, we soon got used to the positioning of the pen and the adaptation process was far quicker than we had envisaged. The packaging is robust, ensuring that you get the device in one piece. The look of the tablet, as the pictures below show, is very attractive, yet unobtrusive. This tablet is a far cry from the small “bamboo” tablets that we have used in the past (a tablet that had put us off from ever using one ever again as the smaller cheap affairs are sheer purgatory to use!). The tablet works extremely well with the standard graphics packages. It is up and running within minutes. The driver software has to be downloaded, but this is a reasonably quick process. Being a typical male who does not read instructions, I found the tablet easy to get to know and use. Having the basic functionality of a trackpad is also a stroke of genius. Where the pen leaves off, the trackpad functions take over. The three fingered tap brings up a circular menu with basics such as save, tab, move forward etc… that makes access to everyday functions readily accessible. The rocker button on the pen is pointless. You will find yourself trolling through the online pdf manual working out the double click and right click on the tablet and ditch the buttons on the pen! The buttons on the pen get in the way and are too easy to click, especially when picking up the pen. You need to position the pen with the rocker type button to the front to avoid accidentally clicking one of the buttons. This function could be dropped from the pen. The tablet can also be “mapped” to a mouse function, which I experimented with. This is an utterly pointless function and it is best avoided. Why spend money on a tablet and then turn it into a glorified mouse? Obviously the primary purpose of the tablet is to use it with graphics heavy programmes. It would be a waste to deploy this as a pseudo mouse. If that is what you require then stick to a trackpad only. When using the tablet and pen with any graphics package it becomes a whole new ball game regarding accuracy and fluidity. All of the graphical work functions suddenly become far easier and the accuracy of +/- 0.01” and the lpi resolution of 5080 really starts to show. The flow across the work area of 48.4” square is a doddle to achieve. When using a decent sized screen, such as a 27” iMac with this tablet, I can easily sweep across the entire screen in one fluid movement with the pen across the tablet without lifting my hand. It soon becomes apparent that this is a far cry from the clunky nature of a mouse and it is so much more accurate. To get used to this tablet you need to forget using the pen as you would a mouse. There is no dragging the cursor across the screen by keeping the pen in touch with the tablet, it is simply move the pen to the position required and tap. Once used to the differences of using a tablet the device becomes a far more logical instrument to employ than a mouse in every regard. In the ten days or so of using the tablet I have touched my mouse about three times. Despite all of the plus points, one of the few drawbacks is the angle of the pen. In art college I tended to use pens, pencils and brushes at quite an acute angle to the paper. This is just a preference of mine, and of many artists. This is not possible with this device as there is not that much tolerance. Use the pen at too sharp an angle and icons start to be pushed across the screen, or your brush strokes become inaccurate. When drawing it sometimes feels unnatural to hold a “pencil”, “paintbrush” at such an obtuse angle. Naturally I want to have the pen at a far more acute angle, far less upright than is required. This will also take some getting used to for many artists who decide to embark upon digital art. I also found that one piece of software, my accounts package Easy Books, did not appear to like the tablet and I have had to resort to using the mouse with this particular package. All other software that I have tried the tablet with work no problem. As I said earlier, the low budget tablets that I have used in the past, and having used equivalent packages with pens on my iPad without success, all put me off ever using any of these devices. Having been there, at the launch of the very first commercially available optical mouse, that I thought to be a revolution at the time, I can see that this particular device is a cut above anything that I have ever used before and comes highly recommended, especially if you are into graphics even in a small way. The Intuous5 Touch Professional Pen Tablet is more than adequate for the designer or small business owner who wants to dabble and design their own logos, or for artists who want to experiment in the world of digital art. The software for this tablet is also accessible and easy to use and it works first time (on an iMac at least), and installs easily. It is also very well equipped for the serious pro designer as it contains more than enough functionality for any design studio. The only other option would be the money no object Wacom Cintiq range of screen tablets. Anything less than this medium tablet is, in my view, money down the drain. I tried the Bamboo range and each successive tablet just sits on the shelf gathering dust. On the issue of cost I feel that this tablet (because Wacom have cornered the market) is a tad over priced and my main gripe is the need to accessorise if you want to have a greater level of freedom. A wired USB connection tethers you to the desktop. Many arty folk enjoy the freedom of sitting back and resting a tablet on their lap or having the ability to shove a tablet into a bag and go. To leave out of a device, in this age, wireless technology is an oversight that verges on being a rip off if you were purchasing at the original recommended retail price of £399.99 (for the Pro version). That's a little steep for a device without this capability. That said, we did a scour of the web at the point when this review was about to go live and we have found an Amazon listing at £254. Scrolling down the page, it said that the Item Model Number is PTH-650-EN which is correct. The device also comes with a download key for other software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements and other software. I did not download this software as I have the full Adobe suite installed, but it is a means of getting started if you do not have any graphics software yet. The talking point regarding this tablet should be the stylish design, ease of use, easy install and how this device really does improve your workflow and the trackpad features that are now built into this tablet, as opposed to its predecessor, all of which are very easy to adapt to. The overall accuracy that can be achieved with this pen and tablet is extremely good, especially on fine detailed drawing and painting work. Designing is also much easier with this device than with a mouse, or with cheaper tablets such as the Bamboo range. Wacom should ditch their cheaper tablets, concentrate upon this line and bundle more freebie software and build in the wireless functionality for what will become a stalwart of tablets. If you need a tablet for any form of regular graphics work, then this is an ideal tool for the job. It matters not whether you are a pro, or a dabbler, this is the ideal workhorse and benchmark. But can this device replace a faithful servant such as the optical mouse. After ten days of using this tablet the evidence in my office is clear. My magic mouse is feeling rather unloved and it is about to be put up for sale on ebay! Pros: Great looking tablet Easy to use Eases workflow and accuracy - tenfold Quality build Good software Good number of different nibs Download key to graphical software packages Cons: Bulging grip on pen possibly a little too large A normal art type acute angle of a pen is not possible Lack of built in wireless technology No rechargeable battery At £399 we were happy. If you manage to pick one up at just £254, then you should be very pleased indeed. Kitguru says: If you are looking for a quality graphics tablet, look no further!

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Intuous5 Touch Professional Pen Tablet Review (PTH-650-EN)

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