Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet Review

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(More customer reviews)This review will be most helpful to someone who is relatively unfamiliar with graphics tablets, as I was before selecting this item for review.

Other than the keyboard, the mouse is the most universal computer control device. But trying to draw with a mouse is clumsy. Pen type drawing tablets were invented to offer a more natural input device for any bitmapped graphics programs such as photo retouching and freehand art applications. The other popular input device, generally found on notebooks, is the trackpad, which works directly with your fingers. Recent Apple MacBook trackpads offer two finger stretching and rotating and other fancy tricks. Some people would like to use this method with their desktop computer; Bamboo Fun is in part a giant trackpad that allows you to do that.

Before buying it, be aware that Wacom, the largest producer of such things, offers many different products and variants at many price points. These range from large pen-only tablets for professional graphic artists ($430) down to small "amateur" tablets with reduced spatial resolution and pressure resolution, for sixty bucks. There are versions with only the track-pad mode, only the pen mode, or both. The product reviewed here ($169) is a bundle which puts together several things at the sub-professional level. The device does both the track-pad and pen modes, is medium size, and the package includes bundled software: Photoshop Elements (the non-pro version of Photoshop, normally $90), Corel Painter Essentials (the non-pro version of Painter, $40) and a program called Nik Color Efex. (The latter is tossed in but doesn't really belong here; it's a set of advanced filters and tricks which work under Photoshop and would normally be used by advanced photographers. But quite expensive if bought alone.) Bundles like this are questionable. If you really use all this software, it's a bargain. But if you are a serious photographer, you probably already have full Photoshop, so Elements is superfluous. Receiving Corel Painter Essentials was a nice surprise however - it's a lovely, fun program which can do things such as turn photos into simulated oil paintings.

Let's talk about the tablet function. One quickly becomes habituated to using the mouse so changing to any other device takes a lot of relearning. The utility of changing to a trackpad with two finger options has a lot to do with the type of software you are working in; for most everyday applications there is not much to be gained. For sorting photos in Aperture, yes, could be quicker after some practice. And, let's face it, having the trackpad made by a third party (that is, not the computer maker nor the software maker) inevitably means that it may or may not all work together smoothly. So a big trackpad like this is ends up a highly personal preference - you will love it or hate it, not in-between. But it would be hard to say it is 'absolutely necessary' for any particular task.

The pen function is a different story. Freehand drawing programs or Photoshop effects cannot be manipulated easily with a mouse - you really need the pen, which is pressure sensitive and can be adjusted in many ways. This one worked well, and makes Corel Painter or Photoshop much easier to use with precision.

It all works, but who is this product really for? As noted, the Bamboo Fun package throws in a bit of everything in nonprofessional versions. But for a 'sampler,' the $170 price is not really cheap. To be worth the price, you will want to be sure that you need both the trackpad and the pen functions, plus the bundled software. I suspect there are few customers who fall in this category. Most graphics-oriented buyers will know what they intend to do. If you only want the pen function for example, you may be better off spending about the same money to get the high performance, higher res professional version of this one Wacom item (called Intuos line). This would probably be my own choice; a top grade pen for Photoshop and skip the rest.

This Bamboo Fun package might be a good option for a school or family with a variety of different users. But a focussed artist with a specific task in mind will do better to choose a more specialized Wacom product.

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Product Description:
Bamboo Fun lets you get hands-on with your creative projects, giving you the benefits of Multi-Touch along with the comfort and precision of Wacom's ergonomically-designed pen. With Multi-Touch, you can navigate, scroll, and work with simple gestures in an area larger than on mobile devices or laptop trackpads. For precision work, pick up the pressure-sensitive pen to draw, sketch, edit photos, and add handwritten elements to your creations. The generous size of Bamboo Fun gives you lots of space for creative freedom, making it simple and comfortable to use. Bamboo Fun works with your existing computer: desktop or laptop, PC or Mac. Attach it to a standard USB port and set it comfortably by your keyboard. You can even customize your Bamboo Fun experience by assigning your own shortcuts to the four ExpressKeys. Available in a stylish silver color, Bamboo Fun will complement your current setup. It includes valuable additions that make it ideal for your creative projects.

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