I've been doing animation, illustration and 3D modeling for almost 12 years now. I started with a regular small personal wacom graphire tablet way back in my college days and gradually worked my way up to a larger 12 inch intuous. Which I used religiously for almost 6 years.
About 2 years ago, I happened upon a 12WX cintiq for about half the regular retail price (around $600). I snatched it up thinking it was a great deal and as I was already used to working on a 12inch intous, figured that at the very least, being able to draw directly on the screen would enhance my productivity.
It did not.
It came down to screen size. Most of the software I use (Zbrush, Photoshop, Maya) all have extensive menus and shortcuts and the 12WX's screen-space is just enough to do any serious work. After struggling with it for a few months, I re-boxed it, shelved it and went back to my trusty Intous.
Fast forward to 2012's San Diego Comic con where I stumbled upon Wacom's booth. They were demoing their newest products.. the 22hd and the 22hd/24hd touch tablets. I excitedly jumped on the biggest and baddest with touch support... After about 15 minutes of clawing around the buggy touch interface.. (which the Wacom dude had to reset 3 times) I moved over the 22HD and wow.. heaven. I must have sat there for at least 45 minutes.. just playing. I sat there so long, they ended up putting my stuff on their overhead screen for con goers to see while I was drawing. I guess some thought I was some popular artist worth knowing (I'm not.. at least, I don't think so) as they started to take pictures of me and the scribbles I was making on the screen.. (It was Batman, for those curious minds out there).
I was sold. As soon as Amazon orders went live with their free Prime shipping, I ordered one.
I've been using it since then daily and absolutely love it. I have difficultly expressing how much it's changed my digital work life.
So pros and cons.
PROS:
- It's a very nice big screen. I love the widescreen aspect as it allows more space on the sides for menus.. though that may be a personal choice for some as it does shrink the workable (portrait style) space a little.
- Bright screen with zero pixel flaws.
- Sturdy build on the bezel for moving around whenever as you need.
- Wiring system is still a little overwrote.. but improved and streamlined through a single port on the back, which helps manage wires quite a bit.
- It works flawlessly with all my pro-software
- Game changer. In case you can't tell.. I love it. The only negative I'm finding is that when I use friends computers for work, I have a habit of touching their screens.. which they hate, understandably. :)
- Speaking of games, I play PC games on it all the time.. most recently Bioshock Infinite cranked on high and it looked great.. no streaking or screen tearing etc.
CONS:
- The base is cool.. and give you a lot of really nice adjustment options.. but for my setup, I found myself working around the stand instead of it working for me. So, depending on your desk and space.. I'd recommend you get an ergo arm for it (which I ordered off amazon as well for about a $100) That made all the difference and took "working around" out of the equation as you can easily put the screen exactly wherever it's most comfortable for you.
- The buttons work well enough, and there's a lot of them (18) which is nice. but I tend to work in a dark studio space and find fumbling around for them to be a little bit of a hassle. I wish they had LEDs or something more tactile on them to make them easier to see in the dark or find without taking your eyes off the screen.
Once again, I found a solution and bought Razer's Nostromo keypad. It's keys have LEDS in them, are all programable/assignable to multiple sets and it sits easily on your desk or in your lap to toggle keys as you draw/paint/sculpt. It felt much more natural for how I work, than reaching for my keyboard or holding the edge of the screen to access the Cintiq's buttons.
- The screen DOES have some sparkle.. the anti glare or scratch coating is pretty noticeable when you first fire it up.. but unlike some, it didn't bother me then and I hardly even notice it now. But it's there, so it's worth a mention.
- This is more a disclaimer as I've read some saying it's tough to color correct the screen. I come from a video background and generally run a few monitors at once, not only to have more screens to spread out my work space, but to compare my end product between them to get an average that looks good on all the screens. (colors and gamut can look very diverse on different monitors and screens) I know it's not the slickest way to work, but that method has done well by me this long. In short, I don't know if the Cintiq 22hd has trouble color correcting, all I can say is that I've experienced no issues with it myself.
Even without the extras I mentioned (ergo arm and nostromo keypad), the Cintiq 22hd is fantastic tool right out of the box.
If you can't get together the scratch, get the largest Wacom Intous you can as it's an amazingly efficient and comparably inexpensive tool that will do 99% of what you need and do it very well. (I still have mine for portability and backup) But if you're really serious about digital art and do it (or plan to do it) for a living, I couldn't recommend the 22HD higher.
Whatever you do, don't skimp and get the smaller 12WX cintiq.. you'll hate yourself later, it's money better spent or saved, elsewhere.. trust me. And as sexy as they seem.. IMO, I wouldn't bother with the more expensive touch models.. unless you just HAVE to have the touch function and extra few inches of screen space. $$$$$!
On Amazon's side, I have nothing but praise. At time of release, Wacom's own stock (also free shipping from them) was on back order.. I placed my order a few days after they were available with no tax and free shipping. Three days later, I was unwrapping the beast in my living room. Great job!
It isn't often I bother writing product reviews, particularly this long after I've bought it. But this is hands down the best (profession related) purchase I've ever made. So worth the money as it's immeasurably changed how efficiently I work.
It's a thing of beauty and I think you'll love it.
| Standing screen display size | 21.5 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920x1080 |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| Wireless Type | DECT |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 0.01 Hours |
