I just came here to ask if anyone else had tried the intuos 4 tablet. I just lost the pen for my work tablet and finally I have a flimsy excuse to get the upgrade.
But is it worth it? do the extra sensitivity levels make a huge difference or is it hard to even tell? is it really just about the new scroll wheel and other ergonomic improvements? Also to answer spiegels quesion, firstly, is the A4 size the "medium" version? personally I think the medium is the perfect size.
from my experience with the intuos 3 i dont tend to draw in big arm strokes, but I do like to have a decent size surface to work on. the main issue is desk top space because i like to have my keyboard behind the tablet. If you did get the large size it may just be a matter of getting used to it and perhaps getting a nice big desk with plenty of room in front of the monitor. It really depends on your work style. I know guys that sit in a chair cross legged with the large tablet on thier lap. personally I couldnt work that way. some people use the tablet exclusively for all applications but i still jump from mouse to keyboard to tablet throughout the day.

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Ahem, here my personal experience til now....! ^^

Yep, working on a A4 sized tablet is a matter of getting used.

I mostly freehand draw, with my tablet, thus I like to be able to draw in big arm strokes, and having a wider surface is good =)

The touch circle strip for zoom works WAY better than the intuos 3 one, and it's really useful as you dont have to stop the movement and start over, to zoom further in or out.

It has 8 programmable buttons, but in the end you'll prolly use only 4 of them. The cool thing is the small LCD display beside the buttons that tell you what command is programmed for each one of them. It reports your own descriptions for commands, if you fill in any.

Personally I keep the tablet set between my lap and the table, tilted, and it's good for my style. I'd have no room for any other position, anyway! ^^
To be noticed: you can reduce the workspace over surface to your liking through the tablet configuration software.

About the sensitivity....cant really tell. There's been a bit of time, between the two tablets, thus I couldnt say, but it really gets every single change of pressure you make and the "resolution" is incredible.

I used my Intuos 4 for both the "elements" and the "L2 riders club logo" works..... you tell me, those are freehand sketches.

Well.....gotta go play, now!! ^o^

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No Gods but Yourself!! >.<

Thanks for your feedback on the intuos 4. I'm hoping that the small refinements and better design makes for a big impact on my working style.
things like having the express keys light up with what they do could be a massive difference. I almost never use them on my intuos 3 because I cant remember what they were set up for. According to some youtube videos the grittier surface makes a subtle but important difference because your strokes dont slip as much and its easier to get smooth even strokes at very light pressures, I could image that in combination with the precision mode button it could dramatically change the feel of the tablet. being able to tap the precision mode button as you manipulate sliders and menus could eliminate some of the irritating slip ups that happen when you try to do those types of actions. I find zbrushe's menus notorious for accidentally slipping out of the window.

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About the "precision mode"!

I very rarely use it, as freehand drawing kinda requires a 1:1 movement response (for me). Anyway this is how it works in practice: it reproduces your movement about 10:1, 10 cm of your movement are 1 cm on your screen (more or less, never measured). A large and smooth curve drawn over the tablet results as a small but very smooth curve on your screen.

On the other hand I remind you tablets work with absolute coordinates, which means when you release the precision button your cursor will dart away to the current pen position. Gotta get used to it as it can be quite frustrating! ^^

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No Gods but Yourself!! >.<

Sounds interesting, but I'll probably not use it much either. I use my current tablet for zbrush and texture painting in photoshop, hardly any actual drawing/ painting work but i do have strong intentions to do a bit of 2d art when I get some free time. maybe over the christmas break

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Ok, so I got the new tablet. I'm pretty happy with it in general. the extra sensitivity is there in the light end but its not so obvious as to blow my mind.
the new design is nice but I'm still not sure about the new rougher surface. It initially felt bad, kind of irritating like a very mild version of when you scratch on a surface with a blunt pencil and you get that shiver up your arm (if that makes sense) but I started to get used to it and I feel like it is better in the sense that you have more control over your stroke, when you sketch lots of straight perpendicular lines to fill an area you can stop more accurately as you can with a pencil on paper. However the nib wear is a big issue. I got through a nib in one day. Ive never changed a nib due to wearing one out on my old tablet. Ive tried to think of solution and looked on some forums and it seems like short of buying some plastic sheet from office works and sticking it on with tape the only way to go is to work the surface so hard that it becomes smooth through wear and tear. not sure how many nibs that will take but at a dollar each it may become expensive.

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Agree, I've already had to change one nib because it was so consumed that it started scratching the tablet's surface. I've drawn much more with my Intuos 3 and I've never had to change the nib.
On the other hand the improved friction gives me more control over lines' trajectory, it feels much less like drawing on ice, now. ^^

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No Gods but Yourself!! >.<

yeah, I'm on the fence with it, I think in time you just get used to one or the other. I think that for sketching/painting work in photoshop or sketchbook I do prefer the rough surface but I didnt count on having to change the nibs every few days. its almost worse than using a real pen, at least an artline pen will last a fair while. it depends on if you really work your sketch though. i doubt it would be so apparent after a day of zbrush or if you used alot of paint bucket fills instead of filling areas with lots of strokes. I guess I'll give it a few weeks of real work and then maybe try buying an intuos 3 replacement surface and stick it on, maybe that'll do the trick.

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I've found a great way to workaround that rough surface problem!!!

I've applied a real A4 sheet of rough paper (just from a drawing book) over the sensitive area. This gives you the same control over your strokes, but wastes your nibs way slower. To fix the sheet I've used the 3M Scotch Magic which doesnt leave residues as normal adhesive tapes do. Just apply the scotch horizontally on the upper and lower edges, right and left (not in the middle), which are areas where you hardly happen to actually draw.

Using this type of scotch you can easily replace the paper sheet when it starts to look wasted leaving no awful sticky traces over the tablet. Using a thick/rough type of paper will grant you strokes control and long-life of the sheet (not to mention the pen nibs!!!!).

This thing works great for me, let me know if you find any better solution! =)

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No Gods but Yourself!! >.<

hmmm, that Intuos 3 surface replacement sounds as an interesting workaround.....let me know, should you decide for this solution. =)

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No Gods but Yourself!! >.<