Digital drawing tablet

[sharpstickie]

I've been accepted to Med school for this next fall and the hunt for a laptop begins. I want to take digital notes/drawings and be able to mark up pdf versions of books but don't want to buy the surface pro 3 or 4 or a ghastly touch screen laptop.
I had the idea of getting a Digital Graphic Drawing Tablet from Huion (the one that digital artists use) and just plugging it in to my laptop. Has anyone had experience with one of these? I've been looking at the Huion 680s.

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[ThinkReallyFast]

I've been accepted to Med school for this next fall and the hunt for a laptop begins. I want to take digital notes/drawings and be able to mark up pdf versions of books but don't want to buy the surface pro 3 or 4 or a ghastly touch screen laptop.
I had the idea of getting a Digital Graphic Drawing Tablet from Huion (the one that digital artists use) and just plugging it in to my laptop. Has anyone had experience with one of these? I've been looking at the Huion 680s.

I would not recommend a Huoin if it is anything like a Cintiq tablet. Not only are these tablets highly impractical to carry around, the "portable" variants typically require a power outlet for use. Also, the stylus input from these have a noticeable offset from the stylus tip. While this is not a problem for an artist staring at the screen, it becomes problematic if you are trying to watch a lecture or read a passage you are staying.

I would recommend the iPad Pro. It has the most authentic writing feel of all the stylus input technologies on the market. It has virtually no input lag and the input tracking is most accurate with relationship to the stylus tip. It also has the ability to capture the stylus angel which also lends itself to providing the most 'natural' writing experience.

 

[Pacna]

Agree with the above. Surface or ipad are both fine choices. I'm writing to you now on one of those ghastly touch screen laptops, and I love it.

 

[sharpstickie]

Thanks for the replies! I think the best think I could do is go into a store to try out different laptops and tablets instead of just staring at them on Amazon.

 

[KungFuPanda123]

is the iPad (not the new Pro) okay to use for writing in notes during lecture? I currently have a macbook pro (non-Retina), and I want some sort of tablet to take notes on during class. I've heard great things about the Surface Pro and the Surface Book, but I was wondering if an iPad would provide a similar experience. Is the UI good enough? Is the screen large enough? Is the hardware responsive enough to the stylus for detailed notes?

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

is the iPad (not the new Pro) okay to use for writing in notes during lecture? I currently have a macbook pro (non-Retina), and I want some sort of tablet to take notes on during class. I've heard great things about the Surface Pro and the Surface Book, but I was wondering if an iPad would provide a similar experience. Is the UI good enough? Is the screen large enough? Is the hardware responsive enough to the stylus for detailed notes?

I've got a normal iPad but it's useless for writing notes since it lacks the stylus technology of the pro. I've tried to take notes on it every way imaginable (different stylus, apps, etc) but it just isn't built for note taking. I'd spend the extra cash on a pro

 

[KungFuPanda123]

I've got a normal iPad but it's useless for writing notes since it lacks the stylus technology of the pro. I've tried to take notes on it every way imaginable (different stylus, apps, etc) but it just isn't built for note taking. I'd spend the extra cash on a pro

Ahhhh, I was afraid of that. Thank you for the info!

 

[wholeheartedly]

so as an artist, awhile back I had a Wacom Graphire. Thing was crazy awesome to draw with, and I've thought about using it in a lecture setting for notes, but with the cords, stylus, etc plus your laptop it seems a bit cumbersome. I really really like to hand write my notes in a lot of cases. I actually found that my digital document scanner works well for getting stuff on the laptop. I missed 3 hours of grad school lecture, had all 150 pages of slides/notes from my classmate scanned in in less than 10 min and uploaded to my ipad to take with me anywhere. different option anyway, plus there are programs that can read and search hand written notes.

On the other hand, Wacom now has a new product that seems quite intruguing called the Bamboo Spark or something. I'm waiting for reviews on it, but if that might be a good option as well.

http://bamboo.wacom.com/bamboo-spar...&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=spark-for-writers

 

[ThinkReallyFast]

is the iPad (not the new Pro) okay to use for writing in notes during lecture? I currently have a macbook pro (non-Retina), and I want some sort of tablet to take notes on during class. I've heard great things about the Surface Pro and the Surface Book, but I was wondering if an iPad would provide a similar experience. Is the UI good enough? Is the screen large enough? Is the hardware responsive enough to the stylus for detailed notes?

I have seen people using an iPad for notes. While they were able to manage taking notes with good software packages and styluses, it was a very unrefined experience and slows you down. It really depends on you especially writing in really large print (due to inadequate sensitivity for fine writing), which it then scales down to match the notes. I would not recommend it at all.

On the other hand, Wacom now has a new product that seems quite intruguing called the Bamboo Spark or something. I'm waiting for reviews on it, but if that might be a good option as well.

http://bamboo.wacom.com/bamboo-spar...&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=spark-for-writers

I do not know much about the Spark, but it looks like it is based on the same technology as Wacom Inkling Digital Sketch Pen. I suggest staying away, very far away. It was terribly inaccurate, especially with fine detail. It has poor sensitivity which leads to not capturing strokes. It was "okay" for really rough sketches and I suppose large block lettering, but anything else it was terribly ineffective.

I just went and watched a review on the Bamboo Spark. (http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/creative-hardware/wacom-bamboo-spark-hands-on-review/) Here are a few images I took of their video. You can notice it doesn't capture all the lines, nor the full length of them when it does. I do not think it would have the sensitivity to done small print hand written notes, especially those done quickly.

Also, here are my results from the Wacom Inkling Sketch Pen while studying for the MCAT:

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Amazon product ASIN B000LD25MC
If you're not trying to break the bank this thing looks like a good option. Can't recommend from experience but the theory seems pretty simple/straightforward.

 

[deleted889094]

I have a Huion Kamvas 16 and I like it a lot. No issues with it, but it's large and certainly not portable. That being said, even if it were, I'd opt for pen and paper personally

 

[deleted889094]

This thread is 4 years old. There was no reason to necro it.

Shoot, I jumped on the bandwagon

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Sigh. Closing.