So I got a few late Christmas presents to myself during the stocktake sales! A new Medium Wacom Intuos Pro to replace my old Large Intuos Pro from 2014 and an Apple Magic Keyboard. I’ve been using Intuos tablets for over 15 years and have to say they are the single most useful piece of photographic and graphic design equipment I’ve ever owned. They literally pay for themselves in the hours you save! Having spent so many years using one, I’ll never go back to Photoshopping without one!

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Review

Firstly, I plugged it into my laptop and opened the Wacom software and was able to import the settings from my old tablet and transfer them to the new one. It worked perfectly straight away thanks to the up-to-date tablet driver already installed on my laptop. Very subtle differences from the Large 2013 model. The new medium’s drawing surface is slightly rougher than the old large drawing surface. I cant say if that’s a good or bad thing at this point, just that it’s different. But the rougher surface could end up wearing out the pen nibs faster. The tablet comes with 3 sample drawing surfaces (textured sheets you can order to stick onto your Intuos Pro). Smooth, Standard and Rough. All of these were rougher than the old large Intous Pro. Again, just something I noticed. 

The new scroll wheel isn’t as good as the old one. It was a little jumpy when using it to zoom in/out in Photoshop or change the brush size. The Pro Pen 2 is better though. The new medium also has a sturdier build. Otherwise, I haven’t noticed much difference between the two. 

So why another Intuos Pro instead of a Cintiq?

1. First and foremost price. I managed to get the Intuos Pro Medium on sale for $416 AUD! And the cheapest, smallest Cintiq 16″ tablet is $999 ($799 on sale).
2. It’s not what I need. I used a 16″ Cintiq when I was at Tafe studying photography. And while I get that some people (illustrators, animators, people who work in 3D) swear by Cintiqs, the 16″ screen was too small for me to get any real use out of it. A decently sized one would be great I’m sure, but I could never justify it when they cost between $1800-$5500. When I used the 16″ at Tafe, I only used it in tablet mode not screen mode. I do a lot of airbrushing in Photoshop masks and layers, quick precision work and pen tool use. You look at the your monitor and use a pen in your hand to make the edits. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do the amount of time saved compared to using a mouse is immeasurable. My illustration style is vector based not a sketchy, hand-drawn style. So I don’t need to draw onto a screen. I can either take a photo of my sketches or scan them in and do vector layers on top of it. So no need to draw directly onto a screen. 
3. Too many cables. Depending on what type of USB ports your computer/laptop has, it can take between 3 to 6 cables and adapters to attach a Cintiq to a computer and power point (see the above diagram I made). Compared to a wireless Intuos Pro which only uses 1 cable when charging. It’s pretty inconvenient if you don’t have a computer with USB-C ports.
4. Intuos Pro’s are built to last! My 2014 Intous Pro is still going strong after 7 years of heavy use. The rechargeable battery life isn’t as good as it was but I just plug it in and keep on going. I’ve heard people with Intuos Pro tablets that have lasted over 10 years. Which is amazing for a piece of tech. You’re lucky to get 4 years out of a smart phone or laptop these days. Being a drawing tablet with a screen, there’s more that can go wrong with a Cintiq. Plus wear and tear directly on the screen. I personally can’t say for sure how many years you can get out of a Cintiq. But the two Intuos Pro’s I’ve owned before kept on going, but I’m also very careful with everything I own.
5. Cintiq’s need to be colour calibrated or everything you see on screen will be wrong. You need a monitor calibration device to fix this problem for any screen you have regardless. If you want your photography work to look correct on screen and in print, you’d be better off getting an Eizo or BenQ monitor instead and saving some money. Both are better screens for correct colour management. 

Large Intuos Pro mapping over 2 screens

Medium Intuos Pro mapping over 2 screens

So why a Medium instead of a Large?

When I started working as a graphic designer at a newspaper in 2009, I was given a Large Intuos Pro tablet to use. To date it’s the single most useful piece of photography and graphic design equipment I’ve ever used and owned. So I eventually got a medium first in late-2009 to use at home, then bought a large in 2014 when I had more money to spend. 

When I got the large, I was using it with a 24″ iMac and no other screen. I used the whole space with broader hand movements. I then got a MacBook Pro and a second monitor. As time went on, I found myself using a smaller mapping size on the large tablet and having that mapping go over two screens (my laptop and second monitor). Essentially using the space of a medium tablet on a large. Having 2 screens to play with meant I could switch between screens with the full tablet space or or use the full tablet space over both screens. Eventually I just used it over both (see above). And while it looks unnatural to use the mapping in that way, your hand movements adjust and get used to it. I’ve had it configured this way for years and had no issues with my work. And I can go from using the tablet in full screen mode to two screens at once easily. 

Last year and the year before I started taking my large tablet with me to Tafe for long photo editing sessions occasionally. It was bulky and taking it with me in its large carry case on public transport was a bit annoying. The medium fits nicely in most bags and backpacks. The large is something that should stay in one place. So portability is also a factor for me now. 

At the end of the day, the reason I chose a medium over a large is that my needs and usage changed. That’s not to say one size is better than the other. Both are good. So is the small for that matter. But it depends on how much money you’re willing to spend, what you plan to do, how many screens you have and what your setup is like.

Xencelabs Medium Pen Tablet (image source: Xencelabs)

A new challenger?

While I was looking into other options, I came across this article mentioning Xencelabs who make a decent looking alternative to the Intuos Pro. I watched a few reviews for their Medium Pen Tablet and it looks interesting. Their medium tablet comes with a cary case, slim pen, 3 button pen, extra nibs, nib extraction tool, drawing glove, charging cable, adapter, dongle and a pen case. All for $347.92 AUD. But what makes this even more interesting is that the company hired ex-Wacom employees to design it and consulted with artists and graphic designers to perfect it. The 3 button pen and nib extractor are virtually the same as Wacom. Xencelabs is a new company and the only products they have so far are the Small and Medium Pen Tablets, a Quick Keys device, two types of pens and some accessories. The reviews looked promising and they have a better build quality than X-Pen and Huion. You also get a lot of value for money. But I’d wait a few years until they release a few more products and build their reputation. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t buy one. And the fact that I’ve trusted Wacom for over 15 years and know exactly what I’m getting to a certain extent. But I’ll definitely keep an eye out on Xencelabs!

Apple Magic Keyboard Review

This post was more about testing out the new keyboard. First impressions are that the keys are a little too low. Not as raised as the old wired Apple keyboard I bought over 10 years ago. The keys are only raised 1mm compared to 2mm of the old keyboard. It’s a very slight difference but when you’ve used the same keyboard for years you can absolutely feel it! My laptop’s keys are probably lower but I hardly ever use it.

The keys also feel somewhat less solid and the plastic a bit thinner under my fingers when typing. It sounds different too. The whole keyboard is angled noticeably lower. Hopefully it’ll last as long as my old wired keyboard. Apple products from about 10 years ago were a lot more durable than they are now unfortunately. I only replaced it because having a keyboard take up 1 out of 4 USB-C ports on my laptop was annoying to deal with and moving it around on my desk when plugged in was a pain too. I’m sure I’ll get used to the new one but it’ll take a little while.

And one final note…

When you spend so much time at your workspace investing in a good table, chair, keyboard and mouse/trackpad are important. By perfecting the setup I have now I’ve completely avoided any wrist pain and RSI. And while a new drawing tablet may seem expensive, it’s been an essential part of streamlining my workflow for over 15 years. Being comfortable and working efficiently in your workspace is vital. So I see these as investments rather than extravagant, unnecessary purchases.

So what is a hyperlapse? It’s basically a moving timelapse. A timelapse is when you take photos at regular intervals while the camera is on a tripod, then combine them to make a video sequence. It’s a technique used to compress something that happens over a long period of time into seconds or minutes of footage. A hyperlapse uses this principal but adds movement. For example, for a linear hyperlapse, you take a photo, take a step forward and then take another photo. You keep doing this until you reach your subject in the distance.

You can also use this technique to go sideways or around a subject to get more interesting results.

You don’t really need much equipment to do this. Just a camera, an interesting subject and Adobe Premiere Pro. If this was a basic timelapse you would need a tripod and an intervalometer. But because hyperlapse is governed by how fast you move it means that an intervalometer wouldn’t really help you much unless you’re absolutely sure you’ll get into your next position quickly and without a break to rest your arms.

So how did it go? The linear hyperlapse went really well. Overall, I was very happy with my finished product. I enjoyed walking both towards and away from my subject. Next time I think I will try shooting my images with a smaller aperture around f11 to have more of the trees in focus around the DNA Tower.

The circular hyperlapse was a little more challenging. Keeping the eternal flame level and centred for each shot was a bit difficult. The warp stabiliser effect in Premiere Pro could have fixed this but I didn’t have enough room on the edges of my shots to be able to get the framing right. And since it was dusk, getting the exposure right was tricky as well. But it turned out okay thanks to Lightroom.

All in all, it was a fun and interesting new technique to learn. Highly recomend giving it a go. If you try it out, post a comment and tell me how you went!