Wacom Bamboo and Bamboo Fun...

[Mayo]

I read this review a few days ago and I didn't hesitate buying the Bamboo.  I have been wanting a graphics tablet to use with Photoshop but the relatively high price always put me off because I didn't need one that badly. I recently upgraded from Photoshop 7 to CS 3, so I began mulling over biting the bullet and getting a Wacom tablet.

Lo and Behold, I stumbled upon the Bamboo.  At the $79 list price it is a bargain. (I got mine for $70 at Circuit City. Go to Circuitcity.com and use their 24 minute in-store delivery option.  If the Web site says that the service is not available at your preferred store call the store because they may be in stock even if the Web site claims that they are not. Then print-out the Web page with the price info and take it with you; CC will match the online price.)

The Bamboo comes in one size with a drawing surface of approximately 4x6 inches. There is no software bundled with it and it comes in black (which tends to show fingerprints.) The Bamboo Fun comes in two sizes and includes a mouse and a software bundle with Photoshop Elements and other software. The Bamboo Fun comes in four colors.

First impressions are very positive, but I haven't had the opportunity to give it a real workout in Photoshop. Some people may prefer using the Bamboo over a mouse or trackball. Even if you don't want to use it as a primary input device it can be very handy for Photoshop selections, paint programs and adding your signature to documents, e-mail, etc.

[Xairbusdriver]

This looks interesting. I often run off the top or side of the pad I use under my optical Apple mouse. Since the "eye" is then in mid-air, it's not too responsive! Of course, a thinner 'pad would be a lot cheaper! But I'm wondering if this thing would still require lifting the 'mouse' and moving it back onto a usable spot. Or does the tablet become a virtual Desktop/screen so that its edges relate to the edges of the screen?

[Paddy]

Mayo, did you come across any listing of exactly which (or how many) filters are included in the Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 GE version that they give you with the Bamboo Fun? I've looked and can't find anything. The odd thing is - just last night I was on the Nik website, considering springing for the Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 Select Edition, which has 35 quite amazing filters - see: http://www.niksoftware.com/colorefexpro/us...3_filters.shtml - and if I can get most of the ones I want with a new tablet, I might be inclined to go that way. I do have an old Graphire, which I assume will work fine once I get the new drivers installed, but it doesn't have any of the fancy buttons!

If anyone else knows what's in the "GE" version of the filter set, I'm all ears!

[Mayo]

QUOTE

Or does the tablet become a virtual Desktop/screen so that its edges relate to the edges of the screen?

I just tested it and the touch-sensitive area of the tablet exactly matches the screen of my 24" iMac. I recall reading somewhere that dual-monitors do not work the same way; if that is important to someone a quick search online should turn up something in a Photoshop forum... The Bamboo driver does not cause conflicts with the current version of the Kensington MouseWorks software and I can switch between my Orbit Trackball and the Bamboo since they are simultaneously active.

Paddy, it took about five minutes of searching but I finally found this:

"Using nik Color Efex Pro 2 GE and a Wacom pen, it's possible to selectively apply photographic filters using pressure-sensitivity to control the amount of effect applied. The four photographic enhancement filters included are Brilliance/Warmth (to control color temperature and saturation), Graduated Blue (for enhancing skies and water), Monday Morning Violet (for creating a moody stylistic look), and Pastel (for generating subdued and softened images)."

The "GE" is no bargain compared with the regular Nik offerings... Just a little "taste."

The small Bamboo Fun can be purchased from Amazon for around $83.  Free-shipping is not an option because Amazon uses a third-party supplier for the Bamboo Fun. At around $90 including shipping the software bundle that includes Photoshop Elements seems like a good deal if you do not have an image editing program like Elements.

[Paddy]

Ah - thanks! I searched for a lot longer than 5 minutes, but I obviously looked in the wrong places. Given that Elements alone is worth about $90, I somehow doubted that there would be a whole lot of filters there. I did find reference to an earlier tablet with earlier Nik software thrown in and it also only had 4 filters. Of the filters offered, only the Brilliance/Warmth one is a filter I see myself using a lot. And I have that one already - it was part of some promo I got somewhere, but didn't get around to installing until last night, which started this whole saga. There are some simply stunning ones in the 35-filter Nik Color Efex Pro 3 Select Edition. The package with 52 filters has some quite wacky ones - probably great for someone in the advertising/magazine business.

[Mayo]

Paddy, do you think that it comes with a full version of Elements?  I don't see how you can bundle an app with a $90 retail value with a piece of hardware that retails for $99...

If you buy a Bamboo there are discounts available for a variety of programs.  Unfortunately, Nik is not one of the vendors offering discounts...

I looked at the filter packages at Nik but I didn't see anything that I would use on a regular basis that I couldn't do myself with CS 3. What do you think?

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE("From Wacom Bamboo info pages")

Bamboo Fun includes full editions of valuable creative software

[Mrious_be]

Interesting

Thanks for pointing us out to the Bamboo (Plus).
I too feel that the "big brothers" are to expensive, I hope I can test the Bamboo in the local Apple store someday.
Would be nice to have some "pen freedom" in Illustrator and Photoshop.

[Paddy]

Mayo, it's a full version of PS Elements - Adobe has been including Elements with lots of things for a very long time. At one point a few years ago I had either 3 or 4 copies from buying digital cameras and scanners that came with it. BTW - it's not the most recent version of PSE for Windows as version 6 has been out for a while. Version 6 for Mac is coming out at the end of March. I would expect them to continue including version 5 for Windows and 4 for Mac for a while anyway - that's often the "catch" - you don't get the most current version. Still a great deal though if you don't have PSE or a full version of Photoshop.

As for the Nik filters - they combine many PS actions; so yes, you could create the same effects yourself, but it would take a whole lot more time, skill and effort. I haven't read a review yet that says "not worth it" or any such thing - the reviews are generally raves - and many of them from pros too.