Wacom Cintiq 22HD Evaluation
Text and video by Cor Steenstra.
The Wacom Cintiq range has been extended and refreshed, and now features among others the 22HD version, available for $1,999.00. There is a 22HD Touch, but that costs $500 extra, to make use of Microsoft Windows Touch sensitivity options to rotate your sketch paper with your fingers, which, to me, seems useless, since the whole Cintiq 22HD already can be rotated. Also, that option is not available on a Mac, so the market is not as big as it seems.In the video I extensively show you my main areas of critique, a critique that is clearly coming from a point of ultimate luxury of drawing on a Cintiq in the first place. Other than working on paper, and having to then go through lots of stages to get it into your computer properly, with the needed adjustments to get the white of the paper, the intended color of the pen or pencil, and to keep the quality of that, this is absolute luxury of course.
So, what I am trying to point out, specifically aiming at Wacom developers, is how I could see this be improved. I really don’t like have an extra thickness between where I put my pen on virtual paper. I admit that some is needed, but is there any way to reduce this distance?
Also, I really am distracted by the delay of the screen icon in moving where I am actually moving my pen. Maybe then either don’t show it, and have people assume that it is actually where they put their pens, since people’s brains do ‘get’ that pretty quickly, or find a way to speed this up substantially.
For me, my process naturally would be to make a rough sketch, to make a refined overlay of that, and to then make an overlay over that using my set of chips curves and straight edges. In some programs they have some of the ships curves, but their options to manipulate those are so time consuming that it takes away from the actual creative process. Thus, I am inclined to want to use my real ships curves on the screen. I can do this, but there I do need that accuracy between where I see that I put my pen point, and where it actually does put the line.
Since I am talking about my wish list, I want this Cintiq, with the rotating screen like here, in a 30″ version, preferably of lighter weight, and less heat producing, so I can put it on my lap. I would love if it was not connected to the computer by cable, but actually was free standing unit connected through WiFi.
I know I am asking a lot, but I also want and need a15″ or 17′ version, also free standing, without cables, thin, lightweight, and cooled, that I can use while ‘on the road’, so like a free standing sketchpad that I can use at the side of pool, at the beach or in nature… Oh.., and all at a lot lower prices of course.. A screen that could actually roll up to take with me, and is therefore less bulky, would be another interesting option. And while we’re at it, a thin layered transparent plastic that I could place on top of my iPad screen, to enable touch sensitive input in drawing programs, would be ideal and a guaranteed hot seller.
You got that list Wacom?
