Wacom Cintiq Review

In this Video Karl gives an honest unboxing and  first impression of the Wacom Cintiq.

Comments

  1. desavoiecorp@gmail.com

    I have an iMac 27in, for retouching my stuff do I really need to color calibrate it? and what brand and equipments do I need?

    1. Hi, I find the Imac screens run a little bit contrasty and punchy, you can try calibrating it by purchasing and X-rite calibrator but my preference would be to use a dedicated screen for retouching such as the new 4K eizo colour edge CG2700x or if that’s a bit too pricey maybe the BenQ colour calibrated monitors.

  2. desavoiecorp@gmail.com

    A question about photographic equipment for Karl, when you used to shoot medium format film and scan it for a billboard in town, what kind of resolution did it had in comparison with digital today ?
    How many mega pixels would you need to match the medium format scan?

    1. Hi, on 5×4 film we used to scan it to about 8000 pixels on the longest edge. My 100mp H6 is about 11,000 pixels on the longest edge. We then use software such as Gigapixel or Photoshop super resolution to upscale further if necessary.

  3. Hello Karl,

    I have an Eizo ColorEdge and just bought a 24″ Cintiq Pro and the Ergo stand. After setting it up, I looked through a few videos to get up to speed on how to use the remote and get the tablet set up. At least, that was my intent. Instead, I found some unboxing videos and this review of yours, as well as your update from two years later.

    I had two reasons for buying the Cintiq. Both reasons are related to some commissions I’ve accepted lately to draw comic books. Drawing comics and retouching photos are very different in some critical ways. I don’t know what the differences are exactly but do know the effect. The first is that my back and knees are in tremendous pain from sitting in the position I adopt when drawing comics. Again, not sure why it is different from retouching but it is. Retouching does not cause the same pain from sitting that drawing causes. Secondly, my hand is much steadier when I draw directly on a drawing surface. When I draw on paper I am much faster than on a tablet because I make fewer mistakes. On a tablet, I have to draw the same stroke over and over again many times before I get it right. On paper, I get it right first try in most cases.

    With retouching, there is more wiggle room with the accuracy of brushstrokes. You may not agree because accuracy is important in photography also. However, the very slight differences that bother me in a drawing are invisible in a photo. This is likely because the photograph itself has a dense pattern of pixels that can hide strokes that are slightly off, particularly when using soft brushes.

    After installing it, I have started working on the Cintiq for a job I’m doing now, a story set in America’s Civil War. My strokes were immediately more confident, I made very few errors, and my speed increased tremendously as soon as I started using the Cintiq. On top of that, I could draw while standing, which was fantastic.

    My main concern was that the color on the Cintiq is clearly not as good as the Eizo, which I have sitting right behind the Cintiq. The good news is that there is a button on the remote for switching displays. When color is the most important thing, I’ll use the Cintiq like any other tablet connected to the Eizo. When accurate brushstrokes or ergonomics are more important, I’ll switch to the Eizo.

    I can understand why you’d switch back to the Eizo alone, because you don’t find yourself drawing comics in black and white very often, where color is not a concern. In my case, it is very helpful. That said, I enjoy photography more than drawing comics. If not for the lockdowns, I’d be out shooting every day instead of accepting commissions as a comic book artist.

    Best regards,

    AP

    1. Hi Apaq, the review video I did was from a couple of years ago, I believe they now have a 4K version of the Cintiq with a better screen so I’m assuming that’s the one you’ve purchased. I agree drawing/retouching on the cintiq is a pleasurable experience, my only reason for switching back to the Eizo was that I didn’t find the Cintiq screen as good as the Eizo for highly precise colour work but as I say they may have improved the screen since. I’m writing this as I read your comment so apologies for any repeat information. I’m glad you have found a way to work with the Eizo too, thinking about it you could have both screens on mirroring each other so you could use the cintiq for the brushstrokes etc and just glance at the Eizo as an accurate colour reference. Thanks for the information on your experience I’m sure it is useful to others considering their options.

      1. The resolution of my tablet is 3840×2160. That is 4x according to television makers but in film, “4k” is 4096 pixels wide.

        I just noticed a typo in my previous answer. I wrote that I’d switch from the Eizo to the Eizo when brushstrokes are the main concern. I meant that I would use the Cintiq. I can verify that it is quite easy to see my work on the Eizo or the Cintiq by pushing a button on the remote, thus eliminating the concern about color.

        I did not calibrate my tablet for two reasons. The first is that I don’t know where I put my external calibration device after not using it for years thanks to my self-calibrating Eizo. The second is that I intend to do all my sensitive color work on the Eizo. For that reason, I can’t comment on the color quality of the Cintiq. I did adjust the temperature to 5,000K from (I think) the default of 7,000k. That made the color closer to the Eizo but not enough to prefer it.

  5. I’m guessing cause I really haven’t read the instructions…….. HAHAHHAHAHAHA ! Sounds like me, I toss them out all the time.

  6. Hi Karl ! (first post here !)
    I was wandering about the Cintiq.
    Like you I have a professional screen for retouch (Eizo ColorEdge sadly not 4K) and a little A4 wacom tablet.
    My question for you is, what is the point having both the Cintiq and the pro. screen ?
    Since you can work on the Cintiq and they can be both calibrated.
    What workflow for you has been the best one ?
    Are you still using the screen ? If yes, for what purpose and how much time?

    1. Hi Florian, the Eizo is just a better picture than the cintiq, it has a better spectrum and just looks better. The Cintiq also has a layer of plastic over the screen for the pen to work on it and this slightly diffuses the images by a small amount. It’s also not 4K although I believe they do offer a 4K version now. I purchased the cintiq thinking the screen was going to be as good as the Eizo and it was good but not as good. I’ve move the Cintiq into the studio for shooting to and having a calibrated screen and also doing ‘live’ retouching for workshops etc and I’ve stuck my 4k Eizo in my office for the more intense retouch requirements.

  8. I was given the 13″ to do a review on. I had similar feeling that it was best for a artist/graphic artist. The 13″ was too small to work in PS in for me. All the panels just too small. I kept saying I wanted to see the larger one in use. I prefer my Wacom Bamboo over the 13″ Cintiq for my work flow. But, I will move up to an Intuos.

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