Writing/drawing tablet

[Trasirshall]

No problem on the link. Glad you found something.

And it really depends, are you using your tablet mainly for writing purposes? If so, then most likely not. If you're using the tablet for drawing, or anything of the sort, then it could make a fairly big difference.

Foremost, I would use it for writing, I would also want to use it for Kanji when I practise, but I wouldn't want to be restrained to only writing because of the tablet. I want to be able to draw in e.g. GIMP but I don't know how important the pressure levels are for that - I do sets etc. in GIMP but nothing more advanced than that.

As a Wacom user for YEARS, I have to say that I would highly suggest Wacom's products. They aren't just easy to look at, they are technologically built for what they do best for artists, designers and photographers---they draw naturally. I have NEVER been a user of small sized tablets because I feel they restrict how much space i need to draw.

Here's a little pressure guide:
Bamboo/Graphire: 512 points of pressure
Intuos 3 (and assuming earlier versions too): 1024 points of pressure
Intuos 4: 2048 points of pressure

Crazy huh??
Recently, my Intuos 3 went to Wacom heaven, but I am upgrading to an Intuos4, I'm pretty excited to get it~ Though I still prefer the penshape of Intuos 3 because of the long grip. <3

Now, as for performance, like fataltea said, it depends on what you plan on using the tablet for. If you are an artist like me, the more pressure the better. Preferably, a tablet that has a working area of 6x8 is better than a 4x6, especially when you prefer to work large like me~ Generally, it doesn't matter what size it is but it helps you out a lot when you like to move around and like to work more freely/liberally.

I would suggest a photographer to go with graphires and bamboos because they don't need the pressure sensitivity. Typesetters and type artists don't need a lot of pressure either.

Artists, I would suggest Intuos 3 generation or upgrading to Intuos 4 for their smoothness and slickness in Photoshop or any other painting program. Being able to have absolute control is essential.

I don't know if you are on a big budget or a small one but I highly suggest to stay away from cintiq (from wacom) the first generation has a lot of bugs and dead pixels and has a shitton of wires/hardware that comes with it so until they fix these issues, go with USB hardwire tablets!

I hope this helped!

Tablets are kind of a new thing in Sweden for those who doesn't needed them in their work. Therefore, there aren't so many affordable for Average Joe (or Jane in this case).
Intuos3, Intuos4, Cintiq and Bamboo are available in Sweden. However, Intuos3, Intuos4, Cintiq cost between 2000 SEK and 24000 SEK and since I'm new at using a tablet, don't know how I will like it and wouldn't be using it as a part of my profession, my prise range isn't higher than between 400 SEK and 800 SEK at the moment, anything more expensive than that and I would have to take it on credit which I'm not so keen on doing since I'm a student.

What is in my price range would be Bamboo pen, Bamboo Pen & Touch and maybe Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch Small, but that is pushing it since the last one costs about 900 SEK. But, I'm not sure I like touch tablets very musch since you can't put your hand on it while you write or draw without things happening that you don't want to.

I am awful at deciding when I can't try them out myself... I would probably say it is between Bamboo Pen and Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch Small.
Has anyone tried these tablets?

[KarumA]

If you want to do drawing then I can suggest you save up for a good Wacom that is also big and not small. Though if you have a good mouse that is very comfy in your hand that can also do the trick, simple coloring done with Illustrator can well be done by hand but if you want to photoshop do a big load of different brushes to do hair etc. then a Wacom is very handy.
I say this because I worked with 2, I have a small one (half A4) at home and I used an A4 one at my internship, it is very getting used to but the smaller ones pretty much suck when it comes to real work. The sync is never perfect and somehow it is always too small compared to your screen, every thing is cramped into that little box on the Wacom which makes it a lot more difficult to draw than on a bigger one. Do not buy one that is too small that is my suggestion. And Wacom's is a VERy good brand

[Trasirshall]

Went out and bought a Wacom Bamboo Pen today. Thanks for all the advice!

[Munemasa Katagiri]

There is a fun dock for Bamboo tablets, you can get it here Wacom Bamboo Dock Gets Two Thumbs Up | Mactropolis.com - Your Friendly Global Mac Community

[Trasirshall]

There is a fun dock for Bamboo tablets, you can get it here Wacom Bamboo Dock Gets Two Thumbs Up | Mactropolis.com - Your Friendly Global Mac Community

I don't see that the dock is available at the site you liked to. However, it is available at Wacom's site and you are able to download it just before you register your tablet.