Customer Reviews

Wacom CTH461 Bamboo Craft Tablet

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First of all, I'm not a native English speaker, sorry for you reading my broken Engrish. :)

Bamboo is Wacom's lineup for light-users.
This is the second generation of this line, which features multi-touch.


# What's in the Box

A Tablet
A Pen
Three pen-tip replacement
A pen-tip extractor

No more mouse offered. (No one uses Wacom's mouse anyway...)


# Pen

It features Wacom's typical technologies:
No battery needed, No cable, and an eraser-programed tail.
New Bamboo pen has just OK grip. Just OK.

However, if you own an Intuos, it might be little rough for you.
Unlike beautifully curved and rubber gripped Intuos pen, it is simply a plain circular cylinder.
It is about the size of three AAA batteries lined up.

From 2nd generation, Bamboo line features 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity.
The higher level allows you to draw more pressure-sensed line.
This is significant, because Intuos3, one of the professional ones, features 1024-level as well.
(You can draw thicker line when you put more pressure, and vice versa.)
In fact, this is doubled level from 1st generation. This is simply great for the price!


# Touch

The biggest reason I bought this product, despite the fact I own an Intuos4, is the multi-touch.
I had a doubt that how useful it is gonna be, but a tablet with touch-sensors made me sooo curious
that I had to order one right away.

The stinky feeling was right; it wasn't that useful.
For navigating, using the pen is wayyy faster.
For editing pictures, my keyboard works better.
Also the touch does not offer good precision to work with those Adobe programs.

Even though it is not-so-useful function with those professional programs,
it may be useful with scrapping and album-making programs, such as Shutterfly.


# Working Surface

Working on this new surface made me feel like I'm working on an actual paper.
With 1st generation, it was a bit too rough that the pen-tip wears away too fast.
One the other hand, Intuos3's surface was too slippery.

But this new Bamboo line's surface is less rough than the 1st gen, and is rougher than the ice-slippery Intuos3.
I think Wacom found just right roughness.


# Driver

The driver is a little bit disappointing.
I don't really get many options for customizing this product.
I could still program the pen and express buttons, but I couldn't program the finger gestures.
I hope Wacom update the driver, and allow users to add some custom gestures.


# Appearance

The specification of 'Bamboo Craft' and 'Bamboo Pen and Touch' are identical, just different designs.
Also Craft comes with a tutorial DVD, and some more deals (e.g. magazine subscription, Shutterfly, etc.) and picture editing programs.
I didn't want to get those extra stuffs, but I paid 30 more dollars for this design. (The recommended price of P&T is $99.)
I'm satisfied with the design, but I'm still not sure if it worth to spend extra $30.


# The bottom line

The 2nd Gen Bamboo is great product for those who are first to tablet, and those who need a decent tablet for leisure activities.
Though the specification is doubled up, the price is same from 1st Gen. So I would say it is a great bargain.
Though the touch is not that functional, this new technology is fun to play with.
For the tablet's original purpose, pen mousing, I would say it is one of the best.

I have been an avid user of Wacom products for almost a decade now and for digital artwork, I still use my Intuous 3 Graphic Tablet. But now I have a new Wacom tablet known as the Bamboo Craft, part of Wacom's latest line of budget-priced Bamboo tablets (from lowest to highest in price: (all black) Bamboo Pen, Bamboo Touch and Bamboo Pen & Touch. And over the $100 range are the Bamboo Craft and Bamboo Fun in metallic silver).

The Bamboo Craft are for those who want a tablet for their Mac or PC and all that is required is that you have a USB port and the room/table space to place your tablet.

The Bamboo Craft is about 9.8 x 6.9 (with the active area at 5.8 x 3.6). For those that need something larger, the Bamboo Fun is about 13.3 x 8.8 (with an active area about 8.5 x 5.4). Note: This is very important, it's great to have more active area space (I believe the bigger the better) but having owned several in the past, what I've learned is that it also comes down to your desk working area and sometimes having something too big may not be practical. Also, purchase a tablet that works with your budget.

I. INSTALLATION & TRAINING

Install of the software on both the PC and Mac are quite easy. After install, you can partake in a few training lessons on how to use your fingers (aka Multi-touch) and use the tablet like a mouse. You can click on the pad, like you would click on a mouse to achieve point, click and move. You can also use your finger to navigate and use the buttons to click. Two fingers to zoom or right click. Motioning your hands clockwise or counter clockwise to spin and rotate an image. And of course, a pressure sensitive pen which you can do the same thing but also take part in making handwritten notes via ink (or your graphic design software) and also for your artwork. Also, the buttons and movements can be customized via control panel or system preferences (via PC or Mac).

I tested this on my Mac G4 with OS 10.5 (it will work with 10.4.8 or higher) and also my iMac (10.6) and it worked fine. Tested it on Windows XP (w/ Service Pack 2) and it works fine (it also works with windows 7 and Vista).

For those who suffer carpal tunnel, mouse finger or tendonitis, a Bamboo Craft (or lower device like the Bamboo Touch) can definitely make things easier on your hands. And it's not hard to use, the training on how to use the Bamboo tablet is comprehensive and easy.

II. Ink and accompanying software

For those who want to leave sticky notes, a hand recognition and art software known as Ink is included. But this software may be a bit basic for some people and so the good news is that if you don't own Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter, the Bamboo Craft comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 (Windows) and 6.0 (Mac), Corel Painter Essentials 4.0) and Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 WE3. And for many people that don't need all the other advance parts of the more expensive software, this software is all they need.

You also get a DVD with 26 scrapbooking lessons from Jane Conner-ziser and a library of digital craft embellishments. A free 8x8 photo album from Shutterfly, a free online store from Cafe Press, a free one year subscription to Scrapbooking & Beyond Magazine and free online training with [...].

III. TESTS

I managed to test out the Bamboo Craft on the web and scrolling, going back, cut and paste were easy using the tablet. The pressure sensitive pen is also easy to use. I tested it on Adobe Photoshop CS3 and also on Corel Painter 8 (and I'm sure they work perfectly on CS4 and CP10). Pressure sensitive pen works perfectly.

It's important to note that learning a pen for digital painting or work, takes some time. Learning how to use a tablet and the pen to use more paint and less paint takes time, so don't expect to paint something incredible the first time using the pen if you are a beginner. Be patient and practice. If your main drive is to paint, I highly recommend with a larger tablet such as an Intuous but for basics, the Bamboo Fun may be all that you need since its larger than the Craft but if you don't have the room, the Craft may be perfect for you. Of course, if you want to go hardcore and want the best (and very expensive in the $1000-$2,000 range), Wacom offers the Cintiq which has the actual digital screen display on the tablet and are magnificent.

And there is no need to worry as it won't conflict with your keyboard, mouse or any other device.

JUDGMENT CALL:

For a budget device and for all the bells and whistles it comes with, the Wacom's Bamboo Craft is a wonderful device for multi-touch, writing, creative artwork, painting, etc. I truly believe those with hand problems such as carpal tunnel, tendinitis or mouse finger will find these Bamboo touchpads much to their liking and creative artists, all that they need until they can upgrade to an Intuous or a Cintiq.

Again, for those on a budget, I recommend the Bamboo Fun for its size but the Bamboo Craft and other lower-priced Bamboo tablets may be all that you need, depending on what the need is or what kind of work you will be doing on it.

But I've owned quite a few Wacom tablets right now and I remember back then, the budget and basic release of Wacom tablet's were simple but these Bamboo tablets....the sleek look, what they are capable of and all that is offered with it is pretty awesome. So, if you are looking into this device is highly recommended.

I was a little skeptical about this tablet, since I'm not really fond of gimmicks or excessive gadgetry, but thought I would give it a try, as my old Wacom Intuos is getting a little long in the tooth.

But I love this tablet! It's the perfect size to go with a notebook computer, and the touch pad is so much more comfortable than that little one on most laptops. I was already very familiar with the pen from my old Intuos, and it works just the same, exactly like a normal pen would. You can either use a little button on the pen to double-click, or just touch the pen to the surface. It's a wonderful invention that I love.

As for the multi-touch part of the tablet, I actually like that part as well. I watched the tutorials to get the hang of it, but it was pretty easy. The only gesture that was not intuitive for me was dragging a file or folder. I had to look that one up, and at first I couldn't get it, but after using the tablet for an hour I felt like a pro. At first I thought the tablet wasn't sensitive enough and was pressing too hard, but after a while I got the hang of how to touch it. If anything, now I would say it's a little too sensitive and I have to be careful not to touch the screen excessively or rest my fingers on the screen.

The thing I love the most about the multi-touch, and what I use it most for, is browsing on the web. The scroll gesture is very intuitive and so easy, and the gesture to move to a previous web page is genius. It really is cool and easy to use. It feels like you're flipping through actual paper pages.

This product comes with bundled software like Painter Essentials and Photoshop Elements, which are perfect complements to the tablet and pen. I already had similar products on my computer so didn't download these. I don't think the pen is as sensitive as that on the beefier Intuos tablets, but I don't know how important that would be if you're just using this tablet for casual use, as I intend to.

This tablet definitely exceeded my expectations, I'm very happy with it. I do have one thing I wish was different -- I wish that I could resize a window by dragging the corner. I wasn't able to do that (or at least, I couldn't figure out how), yet that's something I constantly do on my computer screen.

Although I enjoy the multi-touch capabilities, I was disappointed when I found out that we cannot make direct notes on text editing (except for PDF when using the Skim software). I wished to directly add notes and drawings to Powerpoint or Keynote slides and to Microsoft Word and Pages, but these features only work with Windows software not with Mac OS. With a Mac you can only add notes that you created as images by using inkwell or the Notebook window in Word. The company should be more explicit about this problem when they advertise their product. Their website clearly shows a person scribbling notes on a Word text, but does not mention that this is only for Windows PC customers.

I purchased the Wacom Bamboo Craft after the Wacom brand was recommended to me by a graphic designer friend of mine. I knew I wanted to buy one to manipulate photos, use with animation software, and paint, but needed clarification of the different packages and sizes available, so I headed to the Wacom.com website to view the videos available for each one and check out the specs. I found the site very helpful in making my decision to purchase this package.

The Wacom Bamboo Craft, is geared towards 'crafty' home users. It has both the pen and the touch sensitivity, but you cannot use both the pen and the touch at the same time. (Easily switch between the two using a button on the pad.) It also comes with three great software packages: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0, Corel Painter Essentials 4, and Color Efex Pro 3.0, which all give you amazing creativity for editing photos, painting, drawing and generally 'creating' more for scrapbooks and other craft production.

I also found that ArtRage Deluxe 2.5 works great with this tablet! Lots of fun for people who like to paint and very easy to use. Other software that you may want to consider buying to add to the fun of using this tablet include: Claymation Studio; make your videos 'claymation' videos with this software, Anime Studio Debut 6; animation software to draw cartoon characters, and Manga Studio Debut 4 (Win/Mac); for beginning manga animators.

The size of the tablet included in the Wacom Bamboo Craft package is generous, although it's not the largest tablet available. If you have about 13" in width and 9" in depth available on your desktop, this is perfect. It actually replaces my mouse (works as the pad on a laptop would with bonus features...) for my desktop. I'm very happy I didn't buy the bigger size, as while it would have been nice for drawing to have a larger pad, the desktop real estate it would have taken up wouldn't have been worth it to me.

The included pen also comes with 3 refillable inserts. The pen itself is thicker than a pencil; more like a Sharpie pen with a 'clicker' on it that adds function to the tablet. (NOTE: Be sure to watch the tutorials on how to use the tablet and make adjustments to the set-up. )

I didn't find the pen very comfortable to use. A bit like signing your name on a credit card kiosk at the market. You can handwrite something with the included software and have in inserted into an email (it reads your handwriting and puts it into text - recognizing your handwritten letters) or add a signature to a photo via this method. It will be useful for editing photos, but I wish it was a bit smaller.

Installation took some time; about 30 minutes. Each software package required a reboot before the next one could be installed, with Adobe Photoshop Elements needing to be installed first for the Efex one to be installed. My Vista Premium 64-bit operating system did not start the installation disk automatically, but all I had to do was go into 'My Computer' to double click the drive and it started up.

Following installation I needed to go into my computer's 'Control Panel' to tweak the tablet settings. I needed things to move a bit faster, but found very small adjustments are best, as the tablet is sensitive to them. It was here that I was able to change the links to the 4 buttons on the tablet to do what I wanted them to do.

Overall I'm pleased with my purchase. The included software, size and the ability to use pen OR touch were the deciding factors for me. While I didn't need a free scrapbooking magazine subscription (4 issues), nor Cafe Press freebies, or the included DVD with 'how-to' tutorials for scrapbookers, I think they are a fun addition to the package.

I checked several sites, but the best pricing I found on this item was on Amazon. I think if you are wanting a Wacom Bamboo tablet package, this is an excellent choice!

This item is same as the Bamboo Pen and Touch with a few differences:

1) Item color
2) Cost is slightly higher, by a few dollars, reason 3 explains why
3) Craft comes bundled with a terrific selection of top notch software that is not included with the other Bamboo models. The bundle is designed to assist not only in learning how to utilize Tablet technology but also provides the ability to dive right in and begin using quality tools to manipulate media.

If you are working on photos, creating invitations, announcements or simply creating art from the ground up, this tablet truly gives you everything you need. I typically would not pay extra just to have access to a software bundle, finding them most often substandard and worthless, however this one is truly impressive. Software bundle is more than worth the nominal added cost.

First off let me preface this review by saying I'm a new pen/tablet user. I've been working with the wacom tablet for a couple days and I'm beginning to really like it! I don't usually write reviews, but usually depend on them for information. This is one product I really like and wanted to share my experiences...

The touch feature of the tablet is good and is easy to learn especially if you are used to using an Iphone or an Ipod touch. The only problem I have is with scrolling, but I think that's because I either swipe too fast or I'm not gesturing in a true vertical motion.

The best feature is the Pen and is fairly intuitive to use. The tablet is set up to mimic the screen - placing the pen in the top corner of the tablet brings your cursor right to the top corner - no more dragging and picking up the mouse to get it up to the upper corners, great if you have a large screen. My favorite feature is that the 2 click buttons on the pen can be programmed to a pop up menu that contains the commands you use the most. I pick up the mouse more by habit than by need, and with the programmable buttons and I don't even need to use the keyboard except to type!

I do a lot of drag and dropping and resizing of objects in graphic and scrap booking apps and the pen and tablet combination is far superior than using a mouse, in terms of precision and speed.

I use the Tablet with Mac OS snow leopard and loaded a new driver from the website right out of the box and it worked just fine, bit be warned that Corel Essentials has a bug with the brush drawer and does not work correctly, their website states a software update is due out late this month to correct the problem in Snow leopard. In addition, the tablet works quirky with VM Fusion - but then my mouse also works sporadicly (though less so) with that program at times...

First of this is my first digital pen and tablet. I am just beginning to move from drawing and sketching with a pencil and paper. I have a MacBook Air and I am using SketchBook Pro.

Drawing with the Bamboo Craft is a very pleasant experience. I can't comment on the surface or pen quality since I can't compare it to another product but it feels very natural and I am quite comfortable drawing with it. The major adjustment for me was getting used to the lag between the pen and the actual line drawn. Again, I can't compare this to other products but I would image a higher end Wacom tablet would perform better. Also I may be able to tweak this with settings for the tablet. All in all I am quite happy with this tablet.

As far as using the tablet for navigation, I do find the trackpad on my MacBook Air to be much smoother, The Bamboo craft isn't bad but it just doesn't seem to scroll or track quite as smoothly. I don't know, it could just be me.

All in all I would recommend this to someone who is looking for their fist drawing tablet. It works well and meets my needs as a casual, amateur, digital artist.

I use Photoshop CS5 quite a bit for my personal photography and decided that I needed to try a Wacom tablet. As I was thinking about that, I saw an Amazon Deal of the Day fly by for a Wacom Bamboo Craft for $75 and on an impulse, I bought it.

Setup was very easy and involved nothing more than inserting the CD and then plugging in the tablet when prompted to do so. I took the tutorial that comes on the CD and found it helpful to get oriented to the device. You'll need about 45 minutes to work though all of the lessons, but I strongly suggest you do, especially if you're new to a tablet.

I'm still getting used to using it as an input device, but after two weeks, I'm lovin' it. The touch part of the tablet mimics the Apple touchpad. Since I already own a Magic Mouse and a Mac Book Pro with a touchpad, most of the gestures are familiar to me. I still have a bit of trouble with selecting things with touch alone, but with the pen, it's a snap.

Now that I'm getting used to using it in PS, I don't know how I ever used a mouse. Doing selections is sooo much easier, and being able to jump from one part of the screen to another without having to drag is a godsend. My favorite PS feature is changing the brush size by holding down CTRL-OPT (Mac) and dragging horizontally for the size of the brush and vertically for hardness. That feature along saves me hours in my work, and that's just the beginning.

If you're thinking of purchasing a tablet for your work, the Bamboo is a low cost device that will allow you to test the waters without having to spring for the more expensive Intuis. The biggest omission I see on the Bamboo is that the eraser can't be programed where it can be on the more expensive tablets.

I'm going to keep practicing and get better at using the pen, but I can already see an Intuis in my future!! Maybe a Xmas gift!!??

I've enjoyed drawing on Wacom tablets for about 15 years. Since I am picky (functionality), I buy the best hardware and update rather than replace willy-nilly. Wacom products were once pretty pricey (even factory reconditioned). My reconditioned CTH461 Bamboo Craft allows me to use pen, or "touch" and pen options --- very useful --- worth another $30-$50 in cost. A simple touch of a finger changes between the modes, like toggling. The drawing sensitivity including changing "line weight" is amazing. By blowing up my art work (magnification) I am able to do sensitive painting and graphics at an amazingly low hardware investment. It takes under ten minutes to install the software and start the skills tutorial. You'll be drawing within an hour. I do wish the pen included a (heavy) desktop steel holder (larger steel core, bored out to receive pen), as years back (I'd pay for it). That's it for criticism. Skinny, light, handsome, and certainly portable, if you travel. Bamboo Craft seems the best choice of model. My newest Wacom tablet offers professional quality, ease of use, at a (way) reduced cost. Incredible bang for the buck.