Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have wanted a Cintiq for as long as they've been available. Dabbling with computer graphics, photoshop, and sketching, there is just something about the concept of drawing directly on the screen with pressure sensitivity that is extremely desirable. But these things have always been pricey. For the past few years there has been the 12" WX, but it was very low resolution and reviews complained of tracking issues and color issues, so I stuck with my aging Intuos 3 9" tablet. After having the Cintiq 13HD for almost a week now, I can honestly say this thing is incredible. This is definitely the model I've been waiting for. Maybe that applies to you, too. My background and setup: I'm a life-long art dabbler and sketcher. I'd love to be like Scott Robertson or Feng Zhu. I do a fair amount of photography and photo retouching in Photoshop. The apps I use most are Photoshop CS6, Lightroom, Sketchbook Pro 6, Illustrator, & Indesign. My system is a late 2011 iMac 27" (i7 3.4Ghz, Radeon 6970M 2G, thunderbolt) with 2 screens (the Cintiq makes screen #3). This configuration works great. Pros: 1. Size - the 13HD is an awesome size for sketching & photo retouching. Compared to the Intuos3 9" the Cintiq 13HD is only 1.5" wider and is actually shorter by .3" than the Intuos. To me, this is a great size for desktop use. I suspect the larger Cintiqs may actually be annoyingly large in everyday use. 2. Accuracy - compared to an Intuos, the accuracy is phenomenal. Using 2-3 pixel brushes in the center of the screen, you can be deadly accurate. There's just no way to get that kind of accuracy with the Intuos. You get instant feedback as you lay down your lines/strokes. I've been surprised how good this really is. 3. Feel - there is texture to the screen, which has a satin-type "finish." When using the standard nib, it feels, to me, like using Copic marker on marker paper. This feels a lot better than the Intuos3. 4. Resolution - the screen resolution is 1920x1080, and with the size of the display, it is not quite retina-display resolution, but definitely finer than standard. I'd say it's about 1/2 way between my 27" 2560 iMac screen and my iPad4 retina display. There's plenty of size to include a decent work area as well as interface elements from PS or Sketchbook Pro. 5. Color Reproduction - out of the box this is almost exactly the same as my old Cinema Display HD which has been calibrated with my Color Munki. I haven't taken the time to calibrate the Cintiq yet, but it shouldn't be a problem. It's not as bright as the iMac. It doesn't have the same degree of viewing angle as the iMac, either, so it's important to keep your angle right, but for drawing tasks, it's right on the money. 6. The stand - is slim, lightweight but very functional, for the most part. 7. The buttons - I love these buttons! They come pre-configured essentially perfectly. Of course you can re-configure them as you wish. There's also a wheel you can bring up on screen to provide a few extra functions. Overall the setup keeps you from having to use a keyboard except when changing tools. They didn't feel stiff at all in my use. 8. The Stylus - it's about 1" shorter than the Intuos3 stylus and a little smaller diameter, too. This actually feels better in my hand as it's closer to a regular pen in size. Also, the dark grey/black color looks more serious. The rocker switch still gets in the way more than it's useful (your mileage may vary). The eraser end works great and seems pretty much exactly the same as before. 9. Speed - I had heard with Cintiq that there is a delay between your input and it showing on-screen. That has been non-existent on my system. It's as instant as drawing with a marker on paper, only you get the ability to "undo!" Cons: 1. The cable attachment feels a bit weak. It's very similar to the iPod 30-pin connection. Moving the tablet around the desktop causes it to skew a little, but that doesn't seem to affect it so far. 2. The cable attaching it to the connector is a bit too thick, in my opinion. It makes it stiff enough to give resistance when you're moving it. Unlike the Intuos' cable, which is thin enough that you hardly feel it at all. I'd love (and be willing to pay for) a thinner, or more pliable cable. Other than the stiffness of the cable, it is nice that it is a single cable extending out of the tablet. The power cord & brick take off behind my machine where they blend in with the incredible nest of cables already back there. 3. Toward the edges, there is error in tracking accuracy. I'm talking a few pixels off. At first, I thought this was going to be an issue, but it actually hasn't been. It may just be a perspective issue based on calibration. In actual use, this hasn't been any issue whatsoever for me. Most of my time is spent working more in the center of the screen. Interface elements are generally in the periphery, and they work fine. Just mentioning for completeness. 4. While the stand has "feet" that are rubberized and help reduce skidding, the tablet itself isn't, so when you have it sitting up at an angle it will move on you. I might buy some "feet" to affix to the bottom of the stand on the front to give it some more grip. 5. There are only 4 square buttons plus the 5 buttons of the "wheel." More buttons would be better so I could assign them to photoshop tools and never have to take my hands off to go to the keyboard. Value: Considering the large Intuos5 is $440 (the medium is $324) or so on Amazon, the added benefit of actually seeing what you draw under your pen tip as you draw it is well worth it. I think the intuitiveness of seeing what you draw as you draw it is a major win over touch gestures. Finally: Make sure you purchase whatever adapter you might need to go from HDMI to your computer. For me that meant a $7 HDMI->Mini Displayport (thunderbolt) adapter.