After reading Frenden review a couple of month ago I was really keen on trying out the MSP19U, a cintiq alternative at only 30% of the price.
It was out of stock for a long time, so last Sunday, when it was back on Amazon, I ordered one. I just got it yesterday.
Since lots of people seamed interested, I thought I would share what I think of it, here.
My overall opinion is GOT FOR IT. After drawing several hours on it, it's just a perfect tool.
I never used a new cintiq so I can't compare the Yiynova (pronounced yinova apparently) and the new cintiq. I did try an older model of cintiq and was not convinced, to much parallax, lag and muddy color, the cintiq was also too heavy and big.
But here is what you need to know about the MSP19U,and what probably justify the lower price.
Pros:
-Price (only 680£ with delivery)
-Size (quite small and light, you can draw with it siting on your lap in front of telly)
-Pen feels better then wacom IMO (smaller tip holder) even though when you open it to put the battery it feels like a kid toy.
- Screen is solid glass and looks better then a cintiq.
- Drawing ecperience is perfect, no lag, no jitter, pression is awesome.
- The tablet seams like good quality, nothing like fisher price or anything.
Cons:
- Set up: It took me a while to figure out how to get the right resolution with the mac. TIP: turn your mac of before connecting it, and then on. Don't just do a restart.
- Viewing angle is rubbish, you can't use it as a proper monitor, it's just for drawing. When you sit back you can see a gradient. But when you draw it's perfect.
- Cursor jitter when your not drawing and the pen is on the screen, it's not a problem for drawing, but when you use the slider on a browser or highlight something, it's quite obvious.
- No space for keyboard: the tablet touches the desk so you cant put your keyboard underneath. It means that your body is 20/25cm away from the actual screen. A bit like if someone put your plate a bit too far. I'm thinking of building a little stand to be able to slide the keyboard under the tablet.
- The handle to get the tablet up and down is not accesible enough to change the angle while working. Durring 5hours of drawings, I never felt like I should move the tablet up and down.
- I have one dead pixel. And I read of other people having one. While it's not a deal breaker, it's worth noting.
Over all, most of the cons are not related to the drawing experience. So as a drawing tool it's perfect. The difference is the same as getting a sport car and a safe car, they both do the job, but one has leather sits, A/C and buttons to change the mirrors ...
If the choice is No Cintinq or MSP19U, I definitely recommend the MSP19U. Same if you're wondering between intus and msp19u. The MSP19U is a professional quality tool, not a cheap replacement.
Regarding the film, I will be using the tablet for backgrounds elements like véhicules, for sfx, and probably for the horse. I made photoshop brushes that reacts the same way as my pen. But that's next week topic ;)
In the mean time here is the first drawing I did on the MSP19U, I let you guess witch one is CG and witch one is pen: (it's big, if you click on it you can see the details...)
