VisTablet vs. Wacom for Photoshop?

1. Don't let the comparative size of each be a deciding factor. I am one of the few pros on this forum that do not subscribe to the "bigger is better" line of thinking. Any of us who have good drawing skills have the fine muscle motor skills to draw on a small tablet. It is the size of the monitor that makes the difference, and, in school, you won't have much of a choice of what monitor you will be useing. As I advise EVERYONE who is contemplating which table to use, we ALL have to zoom in, sometime, to work on the close details.

2. As far as compatibility, virtually ALL of them work with the applications available. After all, most tablets function pretty much as a mouse and work in ANY application that supports a mouse. All you need to worry about is if the tablet and stylus supports PRESSURE sensitivity.

3. It is good that you are open to brands other than Wacom. I have no problem with Wacom's products. I have been working, happily, with my 4 x 6 inch Wacom Pen Partner for over four years and have had no problem with it. Last year, I was looking for one to hook up to my grand daughter's computer and found a brilliant unit made by DigiPro. I found one on the Computer Geek's site ( http://geeks.com/ ) for $49. It has the same functionality in Photoshop as my Wacom, but at half the price! Right now, Computer Geek has small units for around $29.

The problem I have with Wacom is that so many people insist that it is the BEST unit to buy. But, when I ask, they ALL admit that they have NEVER tried anything else because someone ELSE told them to buy a Wacom. I'm sorry, but that is not a good enough recomendation. What I suggest to you, is that, for under $49, you can afford to TRY the DigiPro, and then, later, when and IF you decide you need to upgrade, go ahead and shop around some more.

Still, if you have your heart set on the Vistatablet, it IS bigger, it is not a refurb and it IS cheaper than the Intuos 3. As long as it has the pressure sensitivity, you will be all right.

Wacom Intuos3 12x9

personally i prefer the intuos4 by wacom