Comment on Video: Painting on the Cintiq by Rahll
lmao, you're telling me I don't have a good monitor? I'm working with a $360 ViewSonic, and I've never had a professional print done that didn't look exactly like my main display. I've never heard of anyone hating on the Cintiq as much as you. Maybe it's you who doesn't have a good monitor. Everyone I know who has the 12wx, which is probably around 6 or 7 people I've talked to specifically about it, only have very minor issues with it, nothing like you're describing.
lol, i'm suggesting that you don't have a VERY good monitor. I think price is a bad gauge of quality in many situation. still, my monitor came in at $440. What model is your monitor? we could compare reviews, lol. Anyway. Its not necessarily the colours that are off, although they are a bit lacking on the cintiq. Its the brightness/contrast that is poor on the cintiq. Perhaps i give the wrong impression, i dont hate the cintiq, far from it, But i don't think its worth its full retail value. The cintiq, in itself, is an amzing tool, capable of speeding up work flow, etc, etc. Its just, I cant see any reason why its better than a 1000$ tablet pc, apart from the touch strips, which rock! You could argue that with the cintiq you can use a powerfull main pc, and display your work on a larger main monitor. But, for 1000$ you would get a very powerfull tablet pc, that would allow connection to an external monitor. I just think its to middle of the road. A 21 ux makes sense, because its got a huge advantage over a tablet. All the 12wx has is tilt sensitivity and touch strips. What i'm saying is; The cintiq's great, considering no tablet pc's screen will, probably, beat it. Id say, if you have to scrape the cash together, go for a tablet pc. Your getting more for your money.....
Part of the advantage of the Cintiq is they can integrate a quality display for the price point. A tablet PC, like any laptop, is going to have a mediocre display, where the contrast and colors change every time you shift your view 10 degrees. Laptop displays just can't compare to desktop displays, the colors and contrast are never going to be what you need them to, and the Cintiq can get a hell of a lot closer. Not to mention, unless you get one that's Wacom Penabled, it's going to be absolutely worthless.
Believe me, I looked into tablet PC's, not worth it. For the price you end up paying, the rest of the computer components are dumbed down. You can never get a tablet PC with specs anything close to some of the better laptops out there.
And honestly, I don't know the model number of my monitor anymore, but when I bought it 2 years ago, I researched it thoroughly, and it had 5 star reviews up and down the board. My monitor is just as good, if not better than the mac displays we use at my school, which are overrated anyway if you ask me.
Believe me, I looked into tablet PC's, not worth it. For the price you end up paying, the rest of the computer components are dumbed down. You can never get a tablet PC with specs anything close to some of the better laptops out there.
And honestly, I don't know the model number of my monitor anymore, but when I bought it 2 years ago, I researched it thoroughly, and it had 5 star reviews up and down the board. My monitor is just as good, if not better than the mac displays we use at my school, which are overrated anyway if you ask me.
yeah, mac displays are way overrated! Obviously it would have to be penabled. The cintiq display is certainly not quality, it is a mediocre display. go to your local dealer and check out a decent NEC, then tell me the 12wx's monitor is not mediocre. even check out a hp or samsung, the 12wx is underwhelming by comparison. Maybe your 2 year old screen is outdated. I recon you could get a tablet with similiar screen performance, although your right about the hardware, I've just done some basic research, its horrible. It seems, wacom with their fancy patents, are monopolizing the market, and artificially raising prices to silly levels. Because, you cant get a reasonably priced product if wacom are involved. No worse than microsoft, i suppose. I'd say, if you can afford it, go for the 21ux. though, That's self explanatory. I'll prob get one if any come on ebay. lol. Anyways, you ever used(tried to use) painter x on your cintiq?
I'm not saying the 12wx has the best display in the world, it's definitely a dumbed down version of what you would get with one of the bigger Cintiq displays, but that's what happens with the price and portability. It's significantly less than one of the bigger displays. Don't get me wrong, I think some of the Wacom stuff is a bit pricey, but break it down by the components involved. The 12wx is basically a tablet mounted behind a screen. For the size, the tablet would run you around $350. Factor in the screen aspect, and you can tack on another $300 to $350. This puts you around $700, just from the basic idea of buying the components separately. Then, think of manufacturing, the idea of being able to put these things together, with the cords, the box they route to with the settings buttons, the hot keys and sliders, so on and so forth, I really don't think $1,000 is that unreasonable.
Like I said, the screen isn't the best in the world, but for a econo-version of the bigger Cintiqs, I think it's absolutely fine and I haven't had any problems when it comes to painting with it. Sometimes the colors are a little off, or the contrast needs to be tweaked every so often, but you shouldn't be using the Cintiq to gauge a final product anyway, at least not the 12wx. I always do my final contrast/color tweaks on my main monitor, and anyone who does it otherwise just isn't thinking properly.
It goes without saying that one should purchase the bigger Cintiq if they can afford it, unless they need one portable for some reason. There's a reason it's smaller and priced lower. It's not a bad product, I absolutely love it, but of course minor sacrifices need to be made to be able to market at a price that's more widely available to artists and designers. I can think of at least a dozen people that simply cannot afford the bigger Cintiq, and for what it does, the 12wx is fine. If you asked me to give it a rating of 1 to 10, I'd still give it a 9 because it's benefits and quality outweigh the tiny list of nitpicky negatives.
And no, I don't use Painter, I'm all Photoshop.
Like I said, the screen isn't the best in the world, but for a econo-version of the bigger Cintiqs, I think it's absolutely fine and I haven't had any problems when it comes to painting with it. Sometimes the colors are a little off, or the contrast needs to be tweaked every so often, but you shouldn't be using the Cintiq to gauge a final product anyway, at least not the 12wx. I always do my final contrast/color tweaks on my main monitor, and anyone who does it otherwise just isn't thinking properly.
It goes without saying that one should purchase the bigger Cintiq if they can afford it, unless they need one portable for some reason. There's a reason it's smaller and priced lower. It's not a bad product, I absolutely love it, but of course minor sacrifices need to be made to be able to market at a price that's more widely available to artists and designers. I can think of at least a dozen people that simply cannot afford the bigger Cintiq, and for what it does, the 12wx is fine. If you asked me to give it a rating of 1 to 10, I'd still give it a 9 because it's benefits and quality outweigh the tiny list of nitpicky negatives.
And no, I don't use Painter, I'm all Photoshop.
The point I was trying to make was that the intuos tablet is overriced to start with. Nevertheless, the cintiq is overpriced relative to it. Intuos A4(bigger than cintiq)= 330. 17 inch monitor of same quality(much bigger)= 150. Remember both of those products have to be manufactured, cased, given buttons etc, etc. If anything the cintiq reduces the amount of casing, extras, etc. both of those products probably have a 50% mark up, at minimum. Add them together, u get 480. Lets assume the breakout box, metal stand, etc adds another 100, ur still only at 580, and thats with a profit of 240(from the 50% on the 480) BUt the cintiq costs 1000. I have now had the cintiq for almost a week, and i have seen its benefits, im keeping it for now. I think its an amazing tool, and i would recommend it to anyone that honestly needed it, and could afford it. But, i wont suggest it's good value for money. Its just that there is no alternative. Until wacoms patents run out, their will be no competition, and there products will be overpriced. Fair play to them, and all that. If i were to give the 12wx a score from 1 to 10, i would give it a 7.5. because it is technicaly overpriced, otherwise it awsome tho, so maybe 8. Yeha, im also using my main display for colour/contrast. Good, painters shit! I use the gimp, it rocks! 
I think the points you're making are well... pointless. Firstly, you're naming the lowest end of the spectrum for that monitor, second, you're assuming what the mark up is. The fact is, they make the product for profit, and it's the only thing out there like it on the market. So yeah, every company that manufactures a product that they practically have a monopoly on is going to charge you a bit more. What you're effectively doing is not complaining about the Cintiq, but the corporation and how it is they operate. I still think the Cintiq 12wx is a decent price point compared to the much more expensive alternatives from Wacom. Sure, the screen isn't perfect, but it's a far cry from the mediocre to crap display you're making it out to be.
Honestly, the tablets really probably don't cost them that much to make, a lot less than they charge, but guess what, they're still the best on the market, so they have the right to charge more. Also, the Cintiq 12wx,with tablet resolution, screen quality, and macro buttons and sliders, is better than the alternative tablet PC. For being the econo-alternative to a larger display, I think the 12wx is superb.
Honestly, the tablets really probably don't cost them that much to make, a lot less than they charge, but guess what, they're still the best on the market, so they have the right to charge more. Also, the Cintiq 12wx,with tablet resolution, screen quality, and macro buttons and sliders, is better than the alternative tablet PC. For being the econo-alternative to a larger display, I think the 12wx is superb.
your right, as i slowly fall more in love with the device, my points loose their weight. I'm saying the screen is mediocre, not crap. Its neither really good, nor bad, just sort of in the middle. It doesnt stand out. For 300 you could buy a 22 incher with stunning picture quality. This screen is only 12? even if size had no bearing on price (which it clearly does), a stunning 12 inch would come in at 300, including profits. so your still looking at a 70 % mark up on the 12wx, which is ridiculous. They have a monopoly because they own the patents that allow them to have a batteryless pen, so its not overly fair. If you've ever used a battery pen, you'll hae seen why wacom have a monopoly. I agree the 12wx beats its tablet counterpart, and that it is a superb device. Its just, im bitter about having to pay 500 more than a products worth, because of lack of competition, in a free market! Ahhh, that brings me to the point I should have been making all along, and will probably explain my apparently extreme reaction. I payed 980 pounds for mine. Thats the cheapest it sells for in europe. At current exchange rates, thats about 1800 dollars. The 21ux is 4000 dollars here. Thats what really pisses me off, wacom are making double the profit on us, and their making an inflated profit on you to start with.
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