Impressions on the Cintiq 12x?

[Sirio_Brozzi]

I've been using a crappy Wacom graphire for the last 4 years and its seen better days. I've been thinking of investing in a Cintiq 12wx, but I would like to hear impressions from people who have had a chance to use it or actually own one before making a decision. Thanks in advance. :)

[frog from itchy]

I've had one for about three weeks and I am very pleased with it.

Ironically I had always been a bit sceptical about the value of Cintiqs, I've been using an Intuos for many years and am quite comfortable drawing on one. I wasn't convinced that the experience of using a Cintiq would be that much better, but surprisingly it is. The main difference is that the act of drawing requires less concentration, and it's also more enjoyable.

It still takes a bit of getting used to though, for the first couple of hours I found it a little strange, still it's easier to get used to than the normal tablets are.

[cedricstudio]

I've written a detailed review of the new Cintiq 12wx on my blog here (http://cedrichohnstadt.wordpress.com/2007/12/13/my-review-of-the-new-portable-sketchbook-cintiq/).

[the_podman]

Hi! I just bought the Cintiq 12WX series, in fact I'm using it right now. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it, however, I have one question....

Every now and then, I get a little claustrophobic from it due to it's small screen and I was wondering if there was a mode you can set it to that would basically turn off the screen and emulate a standard Intuos tablet and I could use my 1920x1600 monitor. I'm quite comfortable on both a Cintiq(I used to own the 2nd generation 21UX but sold it due to the weight of the thing.) and Intuos, but it seems kinda awkward on my desk with 2 tablets that are the same size but one has an LCD screen and one doesn't. Rather then switching off between the 2, it would be nice if the Cintiq had a feature to just be a plain ol' tablet. My workflow is still much faster in the beginning stages(blocking) on the old tablet, however, the Cintiq really shines with detail work.

Anyone know if Wacom has this planned in a future driver or if it already exists and I don't know about it?

Thanks
-Rodney

[cedricstudio]

The top button on either side of the Cintiq should be set to "toggle". That means tapping the button lets you switch or "toggle" between screens. Tap it once and you can draw on the Cintiq screen. Tap it again and the mouse moves to the other screen, effectively turning your Cintiq into a tablet. It's a nice, easy way to work with multiple screens.

[the_podman]

Sweet!! That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! :)

My YouTube Zbrush Stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmZXLTVKGqQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z-1gBZdPBQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lWhPgRFWLI&feature=related

[nonie]

I have one at work and it is not worth the money... I can't sketch on it because it picks up tons of interference. Maybe they're massaged the kinks out now since I got mine when they first came out... But I can't do anything very precise or smooth on it at all. I still use it daily and love the format, and coating the cables and part of the front with foil helped a bit but it looks totally ghetto. But yeah there have been a whole lot of people with the same problems as me, but Wacom's not doing much about it - Wacom doesn't even have a knowledge base in their support section for the American release of the 12wx, though the other Cintiqs are in there. They're also making it really difficult to get a refund. The Europen Wacom board is full of complaints and Wacom keeps saying it's "environmental factors" causing the interference even though the people experiencing those problems, myself included, have tried the Cintiq in every possible configuration - with and without other monitors, in every art program, in different offices and locations, and still get the same result. They're "just not shielded as well as the more expensive models."

Here's the thread I started about it: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=117982

[Justin.]

of note;

It's res doesn't get bigger then 1280x800.

[the_podman]

hmmm. I must have one of the later models, then. Sorry to hear about the interference issues. I've got mine pretty much 2 inches away from my new DELL 27" LCD and there are none of these issues. I'm just happy that the new Cintiqs improved the contrast ratio to 600:1 from the old 250:1 models which simply don't cut it for gradient work in Photoshop.

Does anyone have the new 20WSX model? Seems like a nice compromise between portability and functionality. I was thinking of upgrading, even though I just purchased the 12X two days ago.

[Mark Bot]

i have a Cintiq 21UX at work, and it does the job just fine. the only complaints i have are the reflectiveness of the screen causing some really insane glares when combined with the overhead lighting of the office. This makes it particularly hard to get -exact- colors, or good brightness/contrast comparisons because of all the extra visual interference.

as far as a drawing tool goes it handles nicely, but i agree with what Nonie said, its really hard to get super clean lines, and it could be because of shielding, or jitter, or drivers, or the simple fact that my hands aren't all that steady. If you can fork out the money for one of these things i wouldn't drop down and say "HELL yeah go for it" but i'm not going to say it'd be a bad investment either. I get great results at home with a 6x8 Intuos3 and the only real complaint i ever have is i can rotate the Cintiq whereas i can't rotate the Intuos3 (a problem which painter itself remedies).

How's that for a non-answer?

[the_podman]

Ha! That's exactly how I felt when I used to own the 21UX, Gus.
When it arrived in the mail, I was under the preconception that it was going to be "exactly" like drawing on paper. While it's easy to learn on the Cintiq, it still doesn't totally emulate the feel of a good old fashion sketchbook. These days, I find myself reaching for the Cintiq only when I need precision in my line strokes.

[kasia88]

I know this is an old post. But I've been looking at cintiqs recently. For now probably the smaller one, 12', as there's a possibility of me moving out of US (different outlets etc) and I wouldn't want to drag the whole thing with me anyway.

My question is, the cintiq has been on the market for way longer than I remembered. Have they improved all the issues it had yet?

Thanks

[Arshes Nei]

I know this is an old post. But I've been looking at cintiqs recently. For now probably the smaller one, 12', as there's a possibility of me moving out of US (different outlets etc) and I wouldn't want to drag the whole thing with me anyway.

My question is, the cintiq has been on the market for way longer than I remembered. Have they improved all the issues it had yet?

Thanks

The Cintiq 12 you're interested in buying is the same kind that has been out for years.

The only improved cintiqs are newer models like the Cintiq24HD