Wacom's Cintiq 21UX 21.3-incher

If you can afford it, you're probably a professional who's been tracking it a while now, but Wacom's introduced their new Cintiq 21UX 21.3-inch UXGA (1600 x 1200) tablet / monitor and the peeps at PC World got to take a gander. Sucker comes with DVI and VGA inputs (as well as the obligatory USB connections), not to mention a fancy pen stand and slick adjustable monitor stand—freakin' better for
$2,999 ($2500 street) is all we're saying. What'd they think? Well, it was good, but definitely not a paper substitute; what'd you expect?

[Via PC World]

[jake @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

that thing is fucking dreamy and is a genuine pleasure to use, but sadly $3k is not within my reach (even my Mac didn't cost that much!)

[evlfred @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I don't think you understand who this is targeted at. $3000 is nothing for a graphic designer to pay for a graphic tablet that you can use and see what your drawing on, opposed to having to look at a screen while drawing on a tablet. Your work will be that much better as it's that much easier to use, it also saves time and is way more ergonomic.

[Eli @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

#2: Yeah, exactly. $2500 is the cost of a good suite of software, or a font pack.

The only thing I'd be worried about is smudges, scratches, and eventual wearing out of the top layer of screen in the most used areas. I assume it's pretty durable, but I hope it has a fairly easily-replacable surface.

[KirbyMeister @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I dont get how this could be THAT EXPENSIVE. Yes I know graphics designers are used to overpaying for everything, but still, what happens when either the monitor part or the tablet part dies on you?

[jake @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

not sure, sounds to me like getting it repaired must be expensive (there's that dreaded word again); wacom makes pretty damn solid products though, fortunately, but the cintiqs only come with a 2 year warranty.

[Havel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I've given demos with the Cintiqs at visual fx/graphics tradeshows and one of the things I felt it was always lacking was 16x12 support, until now of course. (16x12 is pretty much the lowest resolution you'd want to use when working with film materials.)

However, in the end I was definitely not sold on the hardware. Fingerprints and smudges are definitely not a problem, in fact I was blown away by how hard it is to actually cause a visual mark to show up on the screen. Definite props there.

But I found working with the pen directly on the screen tedious and at times, annoying. I was using it for rotoscoping purposes and my arm blocked out other portions of my GUI I was relying on, while I made adjustments to my masks and such. I had to keep moving my arm away to see the results.

I still rely on my big ol' Intuos tablet daily now, and I wouldn't say no to a Cintiq if given one, but I would rather blow $2500 on a giant Sony CRT Trinitron monitor. (Another issue with the Cintiq in my field specifically, is no one uses LCD displays for film work.)

[Vance @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

The connectors, pen holder and multi-angle stand are just accepted on a high-end tablet LCD--you should have covered the Intuos- inspired touch strips and sensitivity levels to start with. This post had that MSM ring of ignorance to it...

As for the price, well, $2,500 is a huge drop from previous Cintiq models. This price has been celebrated by artists and designers as a great way for smaller firms to be able to afford Cintiqs.

[Andreas @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Cintiq rocks. I've got an old 15" model and it really increased my capacity as an animator and designer. Especially with 2D drawn animation the thing is if I made 10 undo with a Wacom tablet, I make 1 undo with the Cintiq.

However this new 21" model is too large. It's too "deep" and a large Cintiq would benefit from wide screen design rather than a 4:3 design. My 15" really is big enough physically, but the resolution could be higher and if it could go widescreen with the same height it would be perfect.

A definite plus would be to make it lighter. 6 kg for the 15" and 10 kg for the 21" is crazy. Would be nice to make it at least somewhat portable.

[falling whale number 42 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

oh man, duel wielding takes on a whole new meaning. think about having a second display on the left with all your tools and pallets, operated with a mouse in your left hand (or reverse for you lefties). just need to figure a way to use two input devices (one on each display).

[Eric @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

$3000 and the fact that Rev. Moon owns Wacom. No thanks. Nice technology though.

[theSAWzall @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I think this is the future of drafting tables/CAD software too. Let me know when they come up with a 30"x42" model.

[charlie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

What about the 17" version? Is that one worth it?

[jake @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

i'm a graphic designer and i still think it's expensive. worth it? hell yeah, this thing rocks, but it's still not within my means.