Getting a Cintiq: what size would be best?

Zanreo 2016-07-19 08:19:47 UTC #1

So for my birthday I got money to buy a Cintiq for, but now I'm unsure about what size to get - I'm between the 13 and 22 Cintiqs. I was first intending to go for the smaller one, thinking it might be big enough, but then started getting a bit unsure... Here are some of my concerns and questions:

My main worry is that the small one will be too small for me. My current tablet is a medium Bamboo Pen and Touch (what's now known as Intous, I expect that brand has about the same size) and I can't really imagine working on anything much smaller. My very first tablet was a tiny Wacom (the small pen and touch/intous I think) and I didn't like it, I could never get comfortable using a tablet this small. Obviously it's bigger than that, but even after googling some pictures I'm still not 100% sure, the drawing area seems a bit smaller for once (well, compared to the tablet's entire size at least) So... how do the work area on those compare, anyone know? I don't want to spend tons of money on this only to find out I'm not comfortable working on it...

Another thing: Portability. While I work a lot from home in my room, I'd also like to be able to bring it with me - to school (ESPECIALLY important since I often do the art for our game design projects), when travelling ect. My current tablet fits perfectly into a room in my computer bag so I like that a lot, but I guess this one would be harder to bring with me everywhere? Would this most likely be big enough considering the tablet I'm used to? A possible alternative could be just using my old tablet for that - that is, if I don't have to uninstall my old drivers first (anyone know?)

As for shortcuts and similar... right now I work on my laptop, have my tablet in front of me on my desk and use keyboard shortcuts/mouse wheel scrollling whenever needed. I see you can set up keyboard shortcuts on the Cintiq buttons (any size), does this work for scrolling too? Because if I get the big one I imagine it could be harder to reach out behind the tablet with that one.

Also, how about image quality, anything I should know here? I honestly have no idea about this one, while I've seen both in use I don't really see much difference, but might be slightly different when using it myself for art?

So, considering my "situation"... which one would be best and most convenient for me? Any other comparisions, pros/cons I should be aware of? It would also be nice to save some money though I can afford the 22, but if the 22 really is much better I'd be willing to pay for that... hmm...

jennula 2016-07-19 09:06:31 UTC #2

I went for the 13 one, and I'm still very content with it =)
The reason for that was:

I didn't have the space for the bigger ones - they're HUGE! And weigh
a LOT!
I had previously owned a large Intuos (A4 size)? And it really
hurt my arm. I really needed a Wacom with a smaller work area or else
I'd get CTS or something else...

I'd say the screen resolution works quite fine, I haven't experienced any irritation due to the screen size.

The only thing that bugs me is that you can't buy an Ergotron Arm that matches the 13 one (buy you can make some DIY solution). I'd love one of those because the stand that comes with the 13 version is very limited.

Zanreo 2016-07-19 10:03:15 UTC #3

So is "large" a bigger version than the medium? My current tablet, the medium, is about A4 size and I can't draw comfortably on something much smaller. How much smaller would you say it is, compared?

Kinda wish there was something between 13 and 22...

jennula 2016-07-19 11:25:28 UTC #4

Large should be bigger, yes =) My old wacom was an intuos 3 though, so maybe the dimensions have changed slightly? I think the one I had was a slightly bit bigger than A4 size, but not by much.

I'm not at home, so I can't say exactly how big the Cintiq 13 is compared to A4 paper size, but you could always check Wacom's site for proper dimensions. But I'd say it's pretty close to A4 size.

But yeah, I agree, I too wish there was a tablet size between 13 and 22 :B

Zanreo 2016-07-19 11:34:07 UTC #5

Yeah, the tablet itself seems about the same size, more or less, though the screen/drawing area looks slightly smaller... so that's the part I'm worried about. (Though that might just be because on my current tablet, the left side has big buttons, taking up some of that space...

zaksimmondshurn 2016-07-19 11:43:29 UTC #6

The 13" I'd imagine wouldn't leave much drawing space with Photoshop's interface to fit in too, but lots of people use them in pro work and find them great. For portability it's the only real option too.

Obviously the 22" will give you a ton more room to play with and would (imo) provide a better experience for creating (not having to constantly zoom in and out + panning around your image when zoomed in) but it's definitely not portable by any means.

Whenever I plug my old intuos back in I need to reinstall the drivers and vice versa when I plug the Cintiq in again afterwards, (which is a pain) but my intuos is about 10 years old, so maybe that's not the case with newer models.

Ultimately I think it really depends how much you intend to travel with it. If you plan to take it with you all the time the 13" is the one, but if 99% of the time you're using it in the same room I'd just forget about the portability and go for the 22", they're really good and, I imagine, a lot easier on your wrist.

AnnaLandin 2016-07-19 11:50:25 UTC #7

AFAIK, there used to be an 18, but they discontinued it for some reason.

I've got an ancient 21UX, which is a lovely thing to draw on, esp. if you're comfortable with that much space to move your arm across, but it is also REALLY HEAVY. Definitely not something you just pick up and casually bring along with you - it weighs 10kg, or about 22lbs. It takes up a good two feet of desk-space. Here's a shot of my current desk-setup, with the 21UX on the left:

I have a positively massive desk to keep it all on (there's as much space out of frame to the right as there is pictured here) so if you don't have that kind of space, you might want to go for something smaller.

If you want a portable option, there's always the Cintiq Companion, but I don't know what those are like to work on. I know @UzukiCheverie uses one, though, and would be able to tell you more about it!

ToonDoctor 2016-07-19 12:42:14 UTC #8

I have had a 21X for 10 years. it's great but not portable. I work with it using a second screen anyway. About the 13', it is portable but if you use it in a school environment -be careful to not let get stolen. Yeah, I know, weird advice to give but not really. After a while, you may forget that you're holding a very valuable piece of equipment. One that because it is portable is easily damaged or stolen. Don't treat it casually. Always keep it it with you and try to not flash it too much.

About which size fits best, it is up to you and your comfort level. If you really need to do team work and drawing at school, I'd just use a tablet and a drawing app for quick sketching, forward the drawings to my computer and refine at home on a 22 Cintiq. You don't need the full gear and equipment at school, and if your tablet gets stolen or damaged, you would have lost less money.

UzukiCheverie 2016-07-19 12:47:26 UTC #9

I HATH BEEN SUMMONED

In the general context of tablets, bigger is not always better. A lot of the time, bigger tablets - whether it's desk tablets or pen displays - have a lot more wasted space that you end up not needing (or just ends up being inconvenient). For my Bamboo Capture, I used a small, for my Intuos Pro 4, I used a medium, and my Cintiq Companion is in the only size it's available as, which is a 15" screen, and it's perfect.

In terms of the Cintiq Companion 2, I sort of ended up in a situation where it was perfect for me. My laptop had just broken down so I had no computer, I got some extra money in from student loans that I could use for it (and I'd rather use it for something that would help me with my job than waste it on things that would just end up sitting around the house doing nothing lol), I had always wanted to upgrade to a display tablet at some point, and I needed something that I could easily carry with me; so the Cintiq Companion 2 was a perfect fit.

As for what they're like to work on, they're pretty great. You just gotta make sure you take care of it the same way you'd take care of a computer... cause you know, it's actually a computer lol Because of this, it's also on the much pricier side (the cheapest model which has an i3 processor and smallest harddrive space of about 60 gb is about $1999, last time I checked).

The model I got is the "standard" model, that's powerful enough to run and render 2D animations and digital art (Intel Core i7 processor, 256gb's of space, 6gb of RAM) but if you need a stronger tablet that's capable of complex 3D rending as well (I'm talking more than what you would render in simple Blender or MMD) the highest model is the 512gb which comes with a bit more kick (of course, even pricier though; I spent about $3000 CAD after taxes on mine and I got the 256 gb model).

So if you want a pen display, I'd suggest looking for an HD display tablet that plugs into your computer (ex. Anna's tablet is built this way) but not going any larger than you deem is necessary. From what I can see on the website here, the Cintiq 13 HD (which is again, just a monitor so don't be expecting it to behave like a computer) is pretty much the same size as the Cintiq Companion 2.

If that's too small though, then the 22HD might be your game. Anything higher is jut getting pointlessly large (plus it seems the highest model - the 27 HD or whatnot - doesn't come with the buttons and radial menu on the monitor, but rather on a separate remote control type thing?? and i'd be so afraid of losing that shit lol I already lose my pen enough as it is).

So yeah. Desk tablets, stick to small and medium size (and don't forget that that their cheaper, simpler Bamboo line is still around, it's just been changed a bit, and renamed to Intuos; and they offer tablets of varying usability and price, from the Pen and Touch to the Intuos Pro 4's); Cintiq HD's or anything else that is selling (under any other brand) as a digital display tablet, again, don't waste desk space; and if the Cintiq Companion 2 sounds like it's for you and suits your lifestyle (and if you have the thousands of dollars to throw around) then I highly recommend it as well.

Good luck! (and let me know if there's anything I said that was confusing or you need more explanation on/have questions about)

/thumbs up

Heck 2016-07-19 19:32:41 UTC #10

So I had the same issue as you when purchasing my cintiq last year. I wanted the largest size, but for an affordable price. After some searching, I purchased a 13 inch hybrid, knowing I could simply return it if it didn't work for me. But what I failed to realize is that when you are working on an image, you're going to be zoomed in so that you can get an accurate stroke. So in this way, you don't even notice the size of your working area. The only difference between a 13 inch and, say, a 27 inch is that you can fit more of an image section on drawable space.

Some things to keep in mind though:

Tablet size. My 13 inch has just enough space on my cafeteria-table desk for rest and use alongside my computer and keyboard.
Tablet weight. My 13 inch can safely rest on a set of PadPucks, but some of the larger tablets have clip-on or big drilled-on rotating stands.
Tablet use. Since I draw controlled lines with my elbow at rest, I need to be able to reach my entire drawing space with the length of my forearm. I am just able to reach all sides with my 13 inch, but larger sized tablets may require you to draw with your shoulder.

Zanreo 2016-07-19 19:56:27 UTC #11

Well, I don't use Photoshop but Manga Studio, but that's also a worry, that with the rest of the program's interface (for pretty much an program) it doesn't leave enough room to work.

I got mine 5 years ago, so it's most likely newer than yours...hmmm

Well, at the moment I'd need the portability quite a bit, but hopefully in some years (when I'm out of school) I wouldn't need to travel too much... but either way I might need a tablet both for work ect (as I'm aiming for something art-related), and drawing at home...

Just googled that and they did indeed have one like that... oh maaan, that seems almost perfect... but with it being that old I'm not sure how well it would wotk at this point even if I found one... why did they discontinue that, was it really that unpopular :c

woah, THAT HEAVY? o_O My laptop is already heavy enough as it is, not sure I'd manage to bring THAT too along with it... My back would hate me for that. xD
(Also googled the 22s weight, not much better at 8something kg...)

Well, I COULD always just bring my old tablet other places if I don't need to uninstall the drivers first...

Yeah, and I'm not sure if bigger than the 13 is "necessary" for me? On the other hand it MIGHT be? I JUST DON'T KNOW D:

Yeah, wasn't thinking of anything bigger, haha. (Ideally, there would be something slightly bigger than 13 but not to a non-portable level, that sounds more ideal for me right now haha x3

As for Companions, they seem a bit out of my price range/what I'm willing to pay (especially the big one). Plus I'd often (for school at least) have to bring my actual laptop anyway so couldn't just bring that as a replacement for the computer.

That's true, but even then it might feel slightly "smaller" than my current tablet. Though if it's about A4 size I imagine it would be kinda similar to drawing on a sheet of paper, size-wise? hmmmm... And even if zoomed in on the canvas I'll most likely have the rest of my art program interface around it... of course, I can resize the canvas (or drag it "outside") if I need... since I often switch back and forth on tools, brushes, brush size, layers ect. a lot when drawing I'd need to have that handy. Maybe I'll just have to hide more interface stuff I don't really use haha x3

My main issue here would be that alright, the 13 seems more convenient in a lot of ways (plus it's cheaper which is another plus) but I'm just not sure how comfortable I'd be actually DRAWING on it, with my drawing preferences and habits? One of the reasons I want a Cintiq is I suspect it will be faster to work with (after getting used to it at least) and I wonder if this smaller workspace will be more confusing and slower to wotk wiith? idk I've just had bad experiences with small tablets (small intuos, in this case, a VERY tiny one, which kept me away from tablets for years hahaha) and I don't want to risk this being similar (even if it's bigger than that one)
Comparing my current tablet's drawing space to my computer screen it's... about as big but slightly less wide. So if the 13 is just slightly less than that again.. I wonder if that would be enough? Even though drawing directly on the screen and drawing on a tablet where you're looking at the full-screen computer would be different...

Thanks for everyone's tips, I'm leaning towards the 13 (mainly for portability - even if the size isn't a problem the weight (along with my computer) certainly would be) but still have this slight worry it will be too small for me. Would be nice if I could actually try it out... I did try it at a conference recently (I THINK it was that one? that was the smallest cintiq they had) but didn't really get much into it but that might just be from not selecting the canvas myself(plus didn't help they were using photoshop, which is not a program I'm skilled in) and liked the 22 much better. Maybe I would need to try it out more...

Heck 2016-07-19 20:27:18 UTC #12

@Zanreo
The working space just a tad smaller than a sheet of printer paper, but a little longer. It's much like a large laptop screen. It is very different from the working space of an intuos or bamboo where you are not looking at a section of drawing space. It feels like a lot more space when you can see into a space as if it were a window.

I got a cintiq because I didn't like drawing when I couldn't see my hand. The cintiq is much quicker to get used to, but it may take a bit of finagling with the settings until you get a more natural feel. At this point, the only restriction is knowing how to control your pen (as it is not exactly the same as a traditional pencil) and learning new digital painting techniques.

If you are still very unsure what tablet is right your you, you could always go for the one you are more confident in, try it out, and return it if you don't like it. Wacom allows a full refund on return items within the first 30 days and will refund your money within 20 days.

Zanreo 2016-07-19 20:36:20 UTC #13

Heck:

The working space just a tad smaller than a sheet of printer paper, but a little longer. It's much like a large laptop screen. It is very different from the working space of an intuos or bamboo where you are not looking at a section of drawing space. It feels like a lot more space when you can see into a space as if it were a window.

I got a cintiq because I didn't like drawing when I couldn't see my hand. The cintiq is much quicker to get used to, but it may take a bit of finagling with the settings until you get a more natural feel. At this point, the only restriction is knowing how to control your pen (as it is not exactly the same as a traditional pencil) and learning new digital painting techniques.

If you are still very unsure what tablet is right your you, you could always go for the one you are more confident in, try it out, and return it if you don't like it. Wacom allows a full refund on return items within the first 30 days and will refund your money within 20 days.

Ah, in that case I think it should be big enough? Probably...(that's working space for the 13, right?)
As for the settings, I wonder if I can just copy the current pressure settings from my tablet (don't really think I changed them too much?) And I was quick to learn to use my current tablet so I suspect it would be the same with the cintiq...

And the only shops I can find it in here are online shops, not sure all of them would have the best opportunity to return/refund... But you say I can return it directly to Wacom?

Heck 2016-07-19 20:54:30 UTC #14

(yes it is :>)
If you have settings saved to your wacom account I think they will transfer to your other tablets.
Here is the link to wacom's return policy
I shipped through UPS, which I think was free, but the shipping cost should not cost much at all. I think there are also return instructions in your order, but you can always call.
And here's wacom's cintiq store.

They also have sales during like really random times of the year where they knock off like 100 bucks.

Zanreo 2016-07-19 21:04:20 UTC #15

But can you do that even if you bought it from somewhere else? Only says "our store"... and if I buy it there, I'd probably have to pay a lot in import taxes (they're kinda ridiculous here) so I'd rather get it from a Norwegian online shop (I'm guessing the european shop only ships from one place?) Guess I'll have to check any return policies for the shops in question... But from what you've told me it does sound more and more like it would be okay for me?

Heck 2016-07-19 21:50:19 UTC #16

Hmm, I'm not sure. I think it would depend on the distributor, but Wacom's customer support may be able to answer that question. I'm sure there's a way you can get a refund on their product.

Greg_Dickson 2016-07-20 00:30:59 UTC #17

I had the exact same worries as you when I got my Cintiq in May. It was my first digital tablet, and I ended up selling a chunk of my game collection to get the money for the 22HD Touch, as I had my heart set on it. But when it finally came time to order it, I had a good talk with the sales rep, and the 22 didn't seem like a good, practical choice. I was willing to pay the price for the 22, but since this was my first Cintiq, it wasn't a good idea for me to go for broke, blowing all of my money on one product. What if it was too big? What if it wasn't comfortable to use? What if I needed portability? What if I just didn't use it as much as I had hoped?

Like I said, I had my heart set on the 22, because that thing looks beautiful, but I took a chance on the 13HD Touch because it was only half the cost, and I don't regret it one bit. Paying an extra $1600 (Canadian) for that 9 extra inches of space wouldn't have been justified. The 13 gives me plenty of room to work with. Just take a look at my comic if you want to see what I've done with it (Check my coloured pages, not the first black and white ones). It's nice too, because I use my wrist for details, more than I use big arm swipes for large motions. Because of this, I feel like my strokes won't be too wobbly, because I'm accustomed to drawing like that. If I had the 22, I'd be drawing on this tiny little part of the screen regardless, not using that extra screen space. It'd be a waste. I hear the screen resolution is a little better on a 22, but the 13 looks just fine to me, and when I transfer my image to my computer, it looks even better. Oh, and I don't need the extra space of the 22 to lean my arm on. I'm perfectly comfortable leaning on the 13. I think if I had the 22, it would create more problem on my back, having to lean over a larger screen.

Really, it's up to you, but I found it's more worth it to start small and work your way up. Used cintiqs really retain their value so you could still sell it for a good chunk of change if you want the 22. But if you get the 22 and it's too big (and the extra space isn't being used), then you're just throwing away money. Like I said, I haven't regretted my 13 one bit and I have no desire to use a 22. Unless I get super amazing at my art and I really feel like I need that extra space to make my work more hyper-detailed, I'll stick with my 13.

Also, after buying my 13 cintiq, I used some of the money that I would have spent on a 22 to get a really comfortable chair to work on, a big scanner, and I banked over $1000. I'm really glad I didn't blow that much money on one thing.

Zanreo 2016-07-20 20:14:56 UTC #18

Greg_Dickson:

Like I said, I had my heart set on the 22, because that thing looks beautiful, but I took a chance on the 13HD Touch because it was only half the cost, and I don't regret it one bit. Paying an extra $1600 (Canadian) for that 9 extra inches of space wouldn't have been justified. The 13 gives me plenty of room to work with. Just take a look at my comic if you want to see what I've done with it (Check my coloured pages, not the first black and white ones). It's nice too, because I use my wrist for details, more than I use big arm swipes for large motions. Because of this, I feel like my strokes won't be too wobbly, because I'm accustomed to drawing like that. If I had the 22, I'd be drawing on this tiny little part of the screen regardless, not using that extra screen space. It'd be a waste. I hear the screen resolution is a little better on a 22, but the 13 looks just fine to me, and when I transfer my image to my computer, it looks even better. Oh, and I don't need the extra space of the 22 to lean my arm on. I'm perfectly comfortable leaning on the 13. I think if I had the 22, it would create more problem on my back, having to lean over a larger screen.

Hmm, I see! I also use my wrist much more than I use my entire arm, so that's nice to know... I mostly zoom in a lot and draw in a small area of my tablet. I'm thinking I'll usually go with showing the same screen on tablet and computer, seeing the full view on my laptop screen (except when using references, in which case I think split-screen will be very handy - instead of what I've usually done and coypasted a reference image into my drawing, under the sketch layers) Also, from what you're saying maybe it's better to lean over a smaller screen...

Zanreo 2016-07-21 06:12:06 UTC #19

So I just ordered my Cintiq (went with the 13) and most likely will get it sometime next week, letting you know how it worked for me :3

Zanreo 2016-07-24 00:40:51 UTC #20

Okay, so picked up my cintiq today (arrived faster than expected!) and well, I'm happy so far It's not too small either. (Turns out what I had been trying out one time was an EVEN SMALLER ONE...) But yeah, feel like I definitely made the right choice here, and saved lots of money on the smaller one too