So for college I need a graphics tablet, butttt I know almost nothing about tablets.. I'm looking for a Wacom Bamboo but I don't know which one to choose.
I figured maybe you fellow GIMPers can recommend me a good Wacom Bamboo tablet that isn't too expensive (and also about the features it has and why it is good?)?
I'm going to study 'Gamedesign', so I'll be using it a lot for concepting/sketching and stuff.

Since the tablet I used to use wasn't bought but given I don't know anything about price or anything like that.
But I have grown to have an opinion that you don't need an overly big one like I have/had (no pen now ).

I suggest a medium sized one.

Yes, I have to add that I'm not looking for a big one, it needs to fit in my laptop bag and also on my desk
What kind of tablet do you have?

I have no clue on the exact model, and I don't know where my mother put it since it's useless without the pen. LoL
Sorry about that... :S

I can describe it though...idk if this will help any but.... :\

It's probably 2nd largest size, it had no buttons you press, the top of the touch part (for the pen) had numbers that you can program as virtual buttons, and it was/is a semi dark blue.

I used to have a Bamboo that I really liked. I still have it, but I wanted to upgrade to an Intuos4 (with tilt).

Admittedly, it's been a while since I did any shopping - so I'm not up to date on the current availabilities.
I believe the Bamboo doesn't have tilt sensitivity. If that's true, would you consider an Intuos?

I bought a refurbished Wacom Bamboo MTE450 tablet on line for $45.99 US. After tax and shipment it cost $53.75 US. I bought it from J&R Music World/Computer World.
Here's a few images of what I got...



Model

Brand
Wacom

Model
MTE450

SPEC

Interface
USB

Tablet Dimensions
7.88"w x 0.3"h x 7.36"d

Active Area
5.8" x 3.7"

Pressure Levels
512

Resolution
2540 lpi

System Requirements
PC or Macintosh computer running Windows 2000, XP, or Vista (32 or 64-bit) or a Macintosh running Mac OS X 10.3.9+, Intel or PowerPC Processor.
Also requires color display, powered USB port and CD/DVD drive.

Features
Works with new handwriting recognition, inking and pen features in Windows Vista (all editions but Home Basic) and Apple operating systems (OS X).
Supports widescreen displays and has a textured work surface for a natural pen-on-paper feel.
High resolution and report rate for outstanding accuracy.
Precise control with an active area of 21 square inches and 512 levels of pressure sensitivity on the pen.
Quick access to user-defined shortcuts with four Express Keys.
Easy scrolling and zooming with finger-sensitive Touch Ring.
Battery-free pen with customizable buttons for comfort and reliability.
Detachable USB cable unplugs from your computer and your tablet for easy storage and transport.
Ergonomic design provides a comfortable supplement to mouse and keyboard input.

I did a little investigating. Bamboo doesn't seem to have tilt. Do the faculty have recommendations?

Tilt-capable tablets are much more expensive.

I also have a Bamboo (Bamboo One, I think). Price was around 90€ when I bought it. Pretty good stuff for the price.

Recent models can work wireless, with a small adapter/battery in the tablet and a USB receiver on the PC. Amazon sells tablet+adapter as bundles.

~

For your first tablet I usually recommend the cheapest Wacom you can get your hands on. I started out with the Wacom Graphire (which nowadays are called Bamboo Small) and didn't feel any need to change for many, many years. The main reason for me changing at the time was that that tablet didn't even use USB ...

The size of the tablet is of less importance. Wacoms come in Small, Medium, Large and X-large. My experience is that you can be just as precise on a small tablet as on a larger one - the main difference is how much you want to move your wrist. If you are a painter that is used to move your elbow a lot, or wants to use large sweeping gestures then a larger tablet may be warranted. Otherwise you can just as well go with the Small size (which is the cheapest one), Medium works too but it's not really necessary.

The main wacom lines are Bamboo, Intuous and Cintiq (there is also Inkling which I've not used). Bamboo and Intuous are tablets whereas Cintiq are tablets+monitors combined (those are very expensive and not what I'd recommend for starters). I have owned and used a range of different wacom tablets, Cintiq (roughly equivalent to Bamboo Small), Intuous3 Small and Intuous Medium. The step up from mouse to tablet is much, much bigger than from Bamboo to Intuous; I wouldn't say that I -really- need the Intuous features despite painting as much as I do.

So I would recommend a plain, small Bamboo - only caveat is that I think there is one version recommended for handwriting rather than painting though, so make sure to avoid that (it doesn't have much of pressure sensitivity). You can certainly aim for a used tablet. They generally don't wear out, and their nibs are replaceable.
.
Griatch

I've got a Bamboo Pen model type CTL-470, it cost about £30 six months ago. It's real basic, no button on the tablet or anything and measures 28cm by 18cm. It works just fine for what I use it for, which is working mostly with layer masks and the only down side I've found with it is the small button on the side of the pen. It's used for moving the image around and I keep hitting it by accident.
It comes with all the drivers for Windows and on Linux it just works without having to worry about installing any drivers.
One other thing, the USB lead is a bit short so I had to buy an extension for that.

I use Wacom Bamboo one which cost me only £40 and serves me well. I need to find somebody who can repair a loose connection because I can't use it at the moment but if I can't, £40 isn't too much to save for a replacement.

I use a Intuos4 Medium. Some of the nicer features are the control ring and programmable buttons (I have them all set up for Gimp). I also use the Ink tool in Gimp a lot, and the support of tilt is important to mimic real inking.

Lastly, I did find a big improvement in moving from my old Graphire (512 pressure sensitivity levels) to the Intuos (2048 levels). Especially for feathering and such, the Intous just feels much more responsive than the old Graphire.

I never use the mouse it came with.

Can't comment on the bamboo, as I never used one. I have read that some support multitouch and can be used as a touchpad as well as a tablet.

-Rob A>

I bought this one to replace my aged one. This has pen and multitouch that you can use instead of a separate mouse. I bought the wireless conversion kit for it too (but it's not necessary, just handy. You can't go wrong with Wacom. All their tablets are top quality and immensely sensitive. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B005UHB ... 1?pi=SS115

That's the model I have. I've illustrated book covers with it.

Thanks everyone for the information!! It helped me a lot
I'm still thinking between a Bamboo Pen&Touch and a Bamboo One, just to start with