Why did I even bother asking? The votes were almost unanimously for the Cintiq Companion.
Two days ago, I wrote up a post asking for your opinions on whether I should purchase the Windows Surface Pro 2 or the Wacom Cintiq Companion. I blasted that post across the Internet hoping I could get you guys to make the decision for me, citing pure laziness as a reason. So for those of you trying to make the same purchasing decision, here were some of my results (I tried to filter for the best responses).
Instagram:
* Most of my followers on Instagram are either pro or amateur artists.
Facebook:
Twitter:
deviantArt:
The only argument I really heard for the Surface Pro 2 was that it “basically” does what the Cintiq does, but it’s prettier and better designed. And I get that. I really do. One of the reasons I would have gone with the Surface Pro 2 was solely because it looks so sleek and pretty (helloooo, pink keyboard, anyone?). I’ve played around with a Surface Pro 2 before (and my beau has one as well, and he’d probably let me jack his to test Photoshop on), and I can vouch for how well it plays with a stylus and pressure sensitivity.
But the choice for artists across the web is clearly the Wacom Cintiq Companion.
It has more screen space, it has shortcut keys, it has a matte surface with brilliant color in HD and craploads of pressure sensitive options with compatible Wacom pens, lower latency, and it’s designed for and with artists in mind.
One argument made for the Cintiq that really resonated with me was the shortcut keys included on the side of the device. Having owned an Intuos 4 for a sizable amount of time, I can vouch for how convenient those shortcut buttons really are. Being able to switch easily between brush and eraser, for example, with just a touch of a button is really handy, especially when you’re “in the zone” and staring into space just drawing for hours at a time (artists, you know what I’m talking about). But then, artists like Noah Bradley who also vouch for the Cintiq Companion over the Surface Pro 2 (his reason being the larger screen) hardly ever use the shortcut keys and prefer to work with a keyboard, so to each their own, yeah?
If I had all the money in the world, hey, I’d probably go with both devices. Who wouldn’t, right?
But I don’t.
And I’m poor.
So I have to choose one.
So, Cintiq Companion it is.
Thanks for the feedback, guys.
Cheri
4 comments
If you’re on a budget, you should also seriously consider the Samsung Galaxy Note 12″ tablet. It’s only slightly smaller than the Cintiq but it does 9/10 of what you need to do at roughly $700 compared to the $1,200+ pricetag of the Wacoms. The Surface Pro never stood a chance as it’s not a dedicated drawing platform and it’s substantially smaller (even though it’s 10″ it’s 16:9 aspect, meaning the screen is a little short). If you want to save even more money and are OK with 10″ tablets, there are a few, including the Toshiba Excite Write and the Galaxy Note 10.
I’m not sure the Samsung Galaxy Note detects pen angle or has 2,000+ pressure points in the same way a Wacom does, though? Does it?
Actually, no, it does not. Interestingly, the Wacom Feel technology that everyone uses (Surface Pro, Samsung Note, Toshiba Excite Write) supports the eraser function but the only one that ships with an eraser on the pen is the Toshiba. There is a Samsung replacement pen that has an eraser, but the official replacement/extra pen available from Wacom doesn’t…
While one would expect that Wacom wants to keep its best tech to itself, it probably offers a kind of cut-down feature set for companies that license the technology, because the Galaxy Note DOES support an “eraser” (the Toshiba’s pen works fine on it). To add more confusion to the equation, Samsung just bought a 5% stake in Wacom.
This topic has motivated me to finish my blog piece review of the different Wacom Feel-based pens: http://toshibaexcitewrite.blogspot.ca/2014/03/wacom-bamboo-feel-stylus-vs.html (sorry if you don’t like links)
Links are fine! I’m clicking and reading it right now.