[HawkOne]

Hello there,

[Disclaimer](most of this info is also in this other recent topic, but since many regulars here understandably dodge the tablet posts, I decided to put a more descriptive Topic title and increase the chances of exposure, I'm so clever )

I'm just curious if anyone of you very splendid guys and gals out there have tried the Aiptek HyperPen 12000, if so, how was the experience ?

I've long been looking for alternatives to throwing nearly 500US$ at a reasonably sized Wacom tablet when I suddenly bumped into what seems to be an interesting alternative from Aiptek,
the Aiptek HyperPen 12000 from Aiptek.com

It looks pretty cool on paper don't you think ???, especially the price, worth a closer look don't you agree ???, here's some info ...
it's got a 12x9 inch work area,
it has a resolution of 3,048 lines per inch (Wacom Intuos has 2,540 lpi),
it has 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, Intuos has 1024
(how many degrees of pressure can you actually control ? )
it's got a chordless stylus/pen
it don't have tilt sensitivity
it costs 150$, Intuos 12x9 costs 470$
that's only 50$ more than the 3.65" x 5" Graphire !!!



Is it another to good to be true story, I hope not, maybe this is the contender to Wacoms irritatingly overpriced hardware ... It's about time ...

Is the 512 extra levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt sensitivity worth the extra cost (320US$ more) of the Intuos 12x9 ?

Or is it better compared to the Graphire2, only on steroids ...

Will the increased resolution smooth over some of this lack of tilt and pressure levels ??

Questions, questions ...



[ October 07, 2002: Message edited by: HawkOne ]

[Frog]

I have never used an Aiptek, but I would just venture the opinion that the hardware is just half the story: the drivers are just as important and also one of the reasons that Wacom is so expensive.

If the tablet works just as well as a Wacom and you have similar mapping options, button controls etc... then all well and good, but I have a hunch that the Aiptek drivers won't be as robust or well featured as those by Wacom. As I said, no first hand experience but just wanted to point this out in case you were seduced by that nice price

[B0b]

ask yourself this

do you want a pen that when u told it feels the same as a BIC biro or do u want a pen that feels heavy and unbalanced? cos as far as i can see that model needs batteries..

the reason why Wacom are more expensive than the 'others' is because its a 'Battery'less pen.. it requires no batteries what so ever to work.. thats what ur paying for the 'natrual' feel technology that makes Wacom the superior product 'the professionals' choice

[HawkOne]

@ Frog & B0b ...

I see what you mean, batteries could be a pain in the butt for some, but I'm not sure how much the weight would actually burden a painter, I for one love those old style fountain pens, some are solid metal, or even marble, weighs a lot more than an AA battery, and they have this ... ummm ... solid feel ...

I guess challenging for Wacoms Intuos 12x9 might be hard to do with a product costing 320US$ less. I realize that Wacom have a pretty refined set of drivers, but to what degree would you say you need to actually think about drivers, I mean, if the Aiptek lists the relevant software as supported, such as Painter or Photoshop, to what degree would a driver actually be a selling point ?

According to bld in the other thread, the Aiptek 8000 is serving him well, the lack of tilt sensitivity and half the pressure sensitivity is not really missed, I just wished I could get hold of some sort of comprehensive review though ... that'd be great.

I myself have only tried the Intuos series, and the corded Genius tablets, not much doubt which one is the winner on K.O. in the first round there, but if there is an alternative that is not to far off, costing 1/3 less it should be an attractive tool for someone not requiring the 250$ no.12 Winsor&Newton series 7 Red Sable brush until they reach a much higher level ...

I'd honest and say that if most of us here on Sijun, me included, haven't quite got the refinement, yet, to tell the difference, then why not try a synthetic brush for 1/3 the price ... or less ...

Probably a silly analogy, hehehe ... but .. well, I hope it can be comprehended ..

One can always upgrade too of course ...


[ September 27, 2002: Message edited by: HawkOne ]