Wacom 27QHD + Ergotron Arm + Desktop Hacks

Since I saw the new Wacom Cintiq coming out with the measurements of a 27" tablet and a QHD display, I wanted to have one so badly with a 4k resolution.
It is known that Samsung and intel work on making 4k displays available for as cheap as 399,- it might come to mind that this would be an awesome use to put it into a pen tablet.
However, this tablet with a 4k display might not happen anytime soon, and even then it might come with a hefty pricetag.

The thing I was complaining about the most, was that Wacom used the term HD for marketing purposes when in reality they catched up with resolutions that every other company was using for years.

Most ridiculously; the only tablet deserving the "HD" in terms of "High Definition" was the 13 inch one and the Companion line with around 169ppi(!). (For comparison; the 24HD has only 91 ppi and the 27QHD has 108 pixel per inch).

In early 2013 I got my first Cintiq, the 13HD and that was a huge leap forward to me and I thought it would be the investment of my lifetime.

Why a Cintiq or Pen Tablet at all?
This question can´t be easily answered, well, I gravitate towards natural contact with a medium and a pen display lets you exactly do that. When I switched from a regular Intuos Tablet to a Cintiq it shaked my little artworld immediately in a way that I will never go back to a tablet - ever!

The issue with the 13HD at a glance:
While the 13HD tablet is a wonderful device, switching between desktops and using the mouse to handle dialogs becomes pretty annoying over time. In my regular setup Photoshop ran in fullscreen mode and the rest of the user interface was spread over various screens. For many menu operations you have to get on your other screen and either use the "display change button" or your mouse to do so. In a day this might make 5 minutes, that turns into 25 minutes a week, 100 a month and 1200 hours a year to consider wasted.

So I gave that 27QHD flagship from Wacom a go and see how it would compare - and send it back if it would be rather a disappointment. The goal was to use Photoshop including its complete user interface in "one" display for once and for all.


The first impression: Wow, that thing is huge! My regular 26" NEC monitor looks tiny behind that monster! Getting this thing mounted on the Ergotron arm was a biggie, but with a pillow and some good will, it turned out working.

Here is a video from Marc Brunet aka Bluefly unboxing the monster, check out his tutorials on youtube as well:

Use a Display Port Cable! When it comes to the resolution I was a bit on the bad side at the beginning as the DVI-to Display Port solution was not working, it did not detect any input.

Below you see an area that I would suggest anyone to care about; it can take some time until you adjust your arm to be capable of lifting and withstanding the 9Kilo thing, eventuall it will sink down to the arm and to prevent scratches, I did some felt tape on the back of it and on the arm.


As you can see above the thing is quite big and even if 9 kg is not that much, you´d be well advised to ask a friend for help when mounting the arm as the Ergotron arm itself is very sturdy and for one person alone it will be difficult holding the Monitor and the arm to get the first 2 screws of the Vesa mount in. There are some screws that come with the Cintiq for mounting.

*Update* After 2 weeks of using, I can say there is a small problem with the arm as the lower part of the tablet will always lift up a bit from the table. The only workaround for this is to do a kind of spacer between the part where the tablet meets the arm. I use a thin piece of wood for this. A more vertical position is no problem. My guess is that the pivot of the tablet is more on top and because the arm is mounted below the middle it is inevitable that the bottom wants to go up.


The spacer solution worked quite well for me. *update end*


QHD or not to be? Now in the the native resolution of 2560 x 1440px, it works pretty well (click image above for full size) The distance to view pixels has to be around 10cm to even recognize that there are any - so for a working distance it is not quite retina, but on the other hand it is abolutely fine to work with. Long time observation has yet to be done. Definitely have to revise my opinion about the 4k so far - unless I have a 4k version to compare with... (that was a call to you Wacom:)


Screen protection hack: Above you see that I added a glass plate to it, however that is not necessary (see edit below). The 13HD Cintiq got a nasty scratch in the middle of the display after a few weeks and I hate when that happens. The 13HD, 22HD and 24HD Cintiqs appear to have a plastic surface with a coat and on these this hack appears to be the most useful if you don´t want sratches! (not to mention the amount of nibs this hack is going to save you:) The other advantage of the glass plate is that you don´t need a glove, I hate to wear gloves.

*Edit* I gathered some more information about the surface and it appears to be glass. With the 24HD this was not the case, so the glass protection might not be necessary, unless you press reall really hard *edit end*



Remote hack: Another useful gadget is that the EK Remote of the Cintiq, which is a part of the new line. It is mobile opposed to the buttons of previous Cintiq models and can be placed anywhere. So I placed it where my left hand is all the time. It has a metal aluminium body which is quite nice and with the magnetic border of the tablet it could be placed on there as well, but for me it makes the most sense on the G13. Didn´t had a use for the display on the Logitech at all so the remote has a perfect new home there.


Keyboard hack #1: One important thing that I got used to with the cintiq 13HD was the keyboard on top of the tablet, it gave me a nice position to write and kind of natural/ergonomic stance when writing. The problem with the 27QHD is that the top border is smaller than the bottom part and on top there is additionally the I/O switch in the middle which causes any keyboard placed over there to switch the device off inadvertently.



Keyboard hack #2 To get the keyboard to work on top, I used a metal ruler as a base which is mounted on top with tartape and isolation tape. On top of that I added a thick cardboard on which the keyboard sits very stable. (See sketch in the pic above for more explanation.) The edge of the glass and the edge of the tablet shapes the distance which is needed to have the keyboard lifted a bit. Having it hang down would not be that ergonomic but that is probably a matter of taste.


Pen holder hack: The Cintiq 13HD came with a nice case in which the pen along with some nibs can be carried.

I ripped that part out as it is sturdy silicone and with some double-sided tape I quickly mounted that part on the edge of the panel. The round pen stand has some metal in them that holds on to the magnetic surface of the frame, but as soon as it is tilted too much your pen and the stand goes straight to the floor. This one keeps the position even when turned over = Idiot proof.


Comparison: Finally the fun part: The comparison between Cintiq13HD and the 27QHD, do I need to say more?
Sure, the 13HD was intended for mobile use, however, anyone considering one might be better served with a Companion. These tablets can be used as standalone tablets and plugged into any computer they become a regular Cintiq 13HD - which is definitely nice if mobility and flexibility matters much to you.

13HD vs. 24HD vs. 27QHD specs
It might be a bit unfair, but the comparison chart below shows a decent pluspoint for the 13HD which is its power consumption of 9Watts, and (not listed) the 169 pixel-per-inch-density which is still way ahead of its league. but thats it.


Conclusion
The takeaway from the above chart might be that if you want power, space and maximum expandability, the 27QHD is the best bang for the buck. If you need mobility and less power consumption the 13HD is still a better tablet than the 22/24 HD.
The 22HD is not in the list as it is mainly the same than the 24HD but without the clumsy stand and less screen real estate by costing nearly the same as the 27QHD - which is ridiculous.

I heard that others have serious driver issues with the 27QHD and apple, however on PC with the latest drivers(!) it works like a charm.

Another pluspoint is that the cursor does not drift away towards the edge as the 13HD does. I don´t know how the 24" and 22HD behave, but with the smaller display it is definitely an issue if you tend to use programm palettes on the outer side of the screen - if you use it only for the drawing area it might not matter much.

A word about touch
On a companion which is more a tablet it makes sense but even then I experienced that the touch functionality is better on a Surface Pro 2 tablet than on any Wacom. From what I´ve seen, touch rotation and pinching lags big time and that is not nice to watch, don´t know if that is the hardware or software causing this.

The reason I never considered touch is that I´m faster and more capable with one hand on the keyboard. It might be open to debate, but working with a keyboard is so intuitive that I honestly would not even waste a thought on changing that. 

What are your experiences, do you have questions?

Want to see more reviews like this?
Either support me on Patreon or send me a test device - contact me here.
I´m a tech enthusiast and have 15 years experience with drawing tablets, so if you look for software beta tester as well, shoot me a note.

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Oliver aka Fantasio is a creative blogger who likes to share his insights about art, marketing and social media. Follow Fantasio on twitter or facebook

48 comments:

  1. Great article Oliver.

    I've seen a few demo's of the 27HD being used, and there looks to be a bit of a lag compared to smaller models. I was wondering if you had experienced any lag? in either Photoshop or Illustrator?

    I've just ordered my 27DH, but have yet to order a stand. I am seriously considering the ergotron, but at the same time also the Wacom stand. Did you have to buy an extra vesa adapter to get attach your wacom to the ergotron?

    Thanks

    Mr M

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    1. Thanks Dean for your comment, appreciated!
      Actually I can´t complain about a lag. I used the 13HD before and the difference is zero. One advantage though to other models is that the precision of the cursor is accurate until the very edge of the display, unlike the 13HD where the discrepancy was up to 1cm (When you come to the edge of the display the cursor drifts further away) The driver works in Windows without crashing, although I have to complain about the pressure sensitivity fail, it occurs at least once a day and I hope it will be fixed with the next update. But I consider this a minor issue.

      The Ergotron is good to go, but it is kind of wobbly because of the size (not the weight) and because the vesa mount would require 6 screws, the Ergotron arm has only space for 4 screws and is slightly off-center.
      It does not matter if you use it like me - with the bottom on the desk for 90% of the time. In that regard the Ergotron arm is the less expensive route to go with even more flexibility ( you could tilt to portrait mode - but you won´t do that:). However I suspect the Cintiq stand to be more sturdy - which comes with a price and additional weight.

      Delete
  2. Great Article!

    Thanks for your review! :)

    I'm interested to buy a new Cintiq 27UHD but Wacom can't give me informations of 2 points which are very important for me. I hope you can help me :)

    First question... is it possible to calibrate the screen to the Look-up Table of the screen or is it still a stupid software calibration?

    second and last question... haw large is the gap between the glass cover and the screen? Actually i work with a Cintiq 22HD... theres a gap between glass and screen of 3 mm. That fact results in an offset of sometimes 6-7mm in some viewing angles.

    I hope you can help me out because the support of wacom is not able the answer me.

    Thanks in advance

    best
    Mario

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    1. Hi Mario, thanks for your comment, glad you found it useful!

      I also did not find any information about a hardware calibration, but I guess there has to be some kind of lookup table because there is an additional colorimeter available from X-rite specifically for the 27qhd have a look here: http://community.wacom.com/en/inspiration/blog/2015/january/introducing-the-wacom-color-manager-powered-by-x-rite/
      I don´t know how accurate it is, but is definitely a leap forward into the right direction.

      Actually the 27 tablet has also approximately 3 mm gap, however, the four point calibration seems to work for the first time around and that means I have experienced no offset until now. The offset was unbearable on the 13HD at times - especially on the edge as you described it, but that is definitely not the case anymore. This is for the Windows version, but I guess it might be the same on OSX.

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  3. Anonymous2/18/2015

    About Cintiq + Ergotron quick question.

    U said about work bottom of the desk 90% of time .
    But it's possible to work without touch the desk?

    Ergotron is strong enough to u be able to work in "air" or need to touch any kind of surface always?

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    1. It is possible to have the arm carry the Cintiq "in air", maybe for the use as display. When working with it, I want some sturdy surface and not a wobbling tablet. It is not the weight of the Cintiq but simply the size that makes it difficult to handle without having it touch the desk.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2/18/2015

      Thanks for the fast reply!
      I am a current cintiq 24 user and i want more flexibility in my workflow.
      I think 27 qhd will be a amazing upgrade.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous3/12/2015

    Hello Oliver, i have already ordered my Cintiq 27qhd and i have been heavily considering of using the Ergotron arm instead of the normal Ergo-stand. So i got two questions for you.

    First question: What Ergotron arm fits best the Cintiq 27qhd?.
    Second question: Does resting my hands on the tablet while drawing ads more weight for the Ergotron arm to carry?.


    Oh, and by the way thanks for the article, helped alot!.

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    1. Hi, glad you found the article useful and have decided for the rig!
      If it is technically fine, like mine is, you´ll definitely enjoy working on it.
      The thing with the arm is difficult as it is not a replacement if you want a sturdy -us-in-all-angle solution since the arm has only one connection to the back and thus struggles to keep it down on the bottom if you tip on the upper corner.
      The one I use is the strongest arm of the line the Ergotron LX and even that one struggles because of the size, not the weight. With the bottom down on the table it is wonderful to work with, but in air I would not want to use it. Hope I could help,Cheers,
      Oliver

      Delete
  5. Anonymous3/12/2015

    Hi, could you please tell me from where did you got your ergotron arm? or at least point me to somewhere i can buy one that is reliable enough and fits the Cintiq 27qhd?. Because, i can't find any ergotron arms from local stores in my area, and because the only ones i find on eBay/Amazon are limited to 9.1kg and 24" screens.

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hi,
      It is this one: http://www.amazon.com/LX-Desk-Mount-LCD-Arm/dp/B00358RIRC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426188217&sr=8-2&keywords=ergotron+lx Actually the same you have found. The 27" works with it no question, for a more stable solution it would be better to have two arms in the dual option, that should work.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous3/12/2015

    Hi Oliver,
    are you sure it's safe to use the ergotron arm that you bought with the cintiq 27qhd?,
    because in the description it says that it can't carry more
    than 9.1kg and that it can only carry a 24" screen.
    Or perhaps it would not be a problem since i always tend to draw while the tablet's bottom rests on the desk or my laps. What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hi,
      I used the arm since I had it when used with the Cintiq 13HD a while ago, so I just tried and it worked for me. It is actually strong enough to carry the big Cintiq in the air for use as a monitor. For working the bottom should be on the desk then it is safe - that is the setup you see and that is what I use today. I think on the site they have to describe it for 24" only because it might not be possible to work without a desk on it, that´s what some people need.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous3/12/2015

    Can you please give me the link to the adapter you used
    to connect the ergotron arm to the cintiq?.

    (I really am sorry if i annoy you, i just want to finally finish with
    this whole "setting up the cintiq" thing)

    Cheers mate

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is no need for an adapter, at least I have none so I don´t know where to get one. The Cintiq comes with screws, these screws are mounted with the arm and you are done.

      Delete
  8. AWESOME REVIEW!

    I just wanna hear your opinion though. If given a chance (considering money wouldn't be an issue) would you go for the ergo stand that Wacom's offering or would you stick with the ergotron arm?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thank you Jay! Since I had the Ergotron arm and the way I´m using it is fine, I would not change. Given the fact that I would not have the arm and I´d need a solution, I probably would go for the Wacom stand.

      Delete
  9. Hi, where did you get your adjustable standing desk?

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    1. Hi, it is basically this one: http://goo.gl/jyqyoG minus the plate because I had one from another desk. But I could not find that particular offer right now. without plate it is cheaper. If you are in the US, you might need to find another vendor, this article might be helpful as well: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-standing-desk/

      Delete
  10. Anonymous5/22/2015

    Hi, I’m starting in the world of illustration and digital illustration, I would buy a wacom but I can not decided which. What did you recommend me to initiate? The price would not be a problem.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hi, glad you deccided to take the plunge into digital illustration. If money is not an issue, I´d always go for the Cintiq 27QD. You may check if the stand from wacom is for you (it is heavy but sturdy) or if you need more flexibility, say moving around the pen tablet often to the sides, then a Ergotron arm would make sense.
      However, this recommendation makes only sense for a desktop workspace, if you are travelling often, the Cintiq Companion or Cintiq Hybrid may be a better solution because you ccan use it as tablet on a desktop computer but also as standalone tablets.

      If you have the chance I´d always get a Cintiq not a regular tablet like Intuos. The reason is that with the Cintiq you draw on the display. On a regular tablet without display you have to adapt to the situattion of looking at a screen and draw on a totally different place - that alone takes a lot of time.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous7/31/2015

    Nice review Oliver!

    I'm thinking about buying a Cintiq 27QHD, but it would be terrible to have scratches on the display. So I've looked for display films, but I only found some for the smaller wacom tablets.

    During my research I've found a fitting display film for regular tv-screens. But I'm not sure if its working on a Cintiq display. Do you have any experience with this?

    I was a bit shocked because the wacom ergo stand is really expensive. Would you recommand to buy a stand for it?

    (Ich habe erst jetzt gesehen, dass du auch aus Deutschland kommst. Da die Frage auch andere interessieren könnte habe ich sie mal im Englischen gelassen)

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    1. Hi und danke sehr!

      I can only speak for experience with a glass-overlay, but since the surface of the Cintiq 27 is already glass, it is unnecessary to put anything on it. Found that out after some research. So far, after around 4 month of usage I found no scratches or anything on it, even with the hard plastic nibs. The 24HD and others such as the 13HD have plastic surfaces which makes display film or glass plate a must-have.
      Hoffe ich konnte helfen,
      cheers

      Delete
  12. Anonymous8/02/2015

    GERMAN (english translation below):

    Hi,
    vielen Dank für die schnelle Antwort.
    Ich habe gestern doch noch eine Folie für das Cintiq 27QHD gefunden, allerdings scheint das einkaufen auf der Website ziemlich umständlich zu sein. Falls das für dich und die anderen Leser interessant sein könnte ist hier mal der Link:

    http://www.neoxum.de/folien/folie-bis-30-0-zoll/8330/wacom-cintiq-27qhd

    Ich hab das Talent in fast alles Kratzer reinzubekommen ^^' Daher überlege ich nach wie vor in einen Displayschutz zu investieren. Ich habe bereits zu diversen 27"-Folien für normalen TV-Monitore auf Amazon nachgefragt, ob die sich für ein Wacom eignen, aber noch keine Antwort erhalten. Wenn sich da was tut, teile ich es dir gerne mit.

    Zur Zeit schwanke ich zwischen dem 24" und dem 27" (ohne Touch). Beide haben viele gute Aspekte, aber dann auch wieder ein Paar negative...
    Hast du auch mit dem 24" gearbeitet und kannst einen Vergleich zwischen den Geräten ziehen?

    Bei dem 24" habe ich bedenken, dass die Auflösung von 1.920 x 1.200 nicht so gut ist, wie es sich zuerst anhört. Immerhin ist das Display riesig, was die Auflösung wieder relativiert. Großer Pluspunkt ist der mitgelieferte Standfuß für mich.

    Bei dem 27" müsste ich nach dem Kauf erst einmal sparen und ohne Standfuß auskommen. Hast du ausprobiert, wie es sich ohne den zusätzlichen Standfuß arbeiten lässt?
    Ich habe leider keine Möglichkeit einen Ergotron an meinem Tisch anzubringen. Daher müsste ich - sofern es keine andere Alternative gibt - auf den teuren Ergo Stand zurückgreifen.

    Preislich tun sich die beiden Cintiqs ja nicht soviel, grade mal 80 EUR Unterschied (wenn man den Standfuß außer Acht lässt ^^)


    Eigentlich wollte ich mir die beiden Geräte mal vor Ort in einem Laden anschauen, damit ich weiß, wie viel Platz ich einplanen sollte. Leider sind sie in den Läden nicht mehr da. Also werde ich eins bestellen und dann schauen, wo ich das unterbringen kann.

    Schöne Grüße aus dem Münsterland

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hi,
    thanks for the quick answer.
    I've found this display foil for the Cintiq 27QHD yesterday. It seems to be a bit complicated to get the product via this site. But if anyone is interessted, heres the link (its a german website, but maybe there's a similar product/website in the internet?):

    http://www.neoxum.de/folien/folie-bis-30-0-zoll/8330/wacom-cintiq-27qhd

    I get nearly everything demaged, so it would be nice to have an extra display screen ^^ I asked some producer on amazon if there 27" display screens (for regular tv-monitors) would work on a Cintiq 27. I didn't received an answer yet, but I'll let you know if I get one.

    I range between the Cintiq 24 and Cintiq 27 (without touch-function). Can you draw a comparison between them?

    Is the resolution of the Cintiq 24 good for a monitor as big as this?
    Did you tried to work on the Cintiq 27 without an extra stand? Are there any other alternatives to the wacom ergo stand and the ergotron? Because I can't use the ergotron on my table -.-

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hi, danke für den link, dürfte in der tat interessant sein für den ein oder anderen.

      Ich neige auch dazu überall kratzer herinzubekommen, dauerte beim Cintiq 13HD nur 4 Wochen;)
      Daher weiß ich das es beim 27"er glas ist.

      Also was die touch funktion rechtfertigen soll weiß ich nicht wirklich, ich würde aus prinzip kein touch-tablet aus dem hause Wacom ordern, einfach weil sie es nicht hinbekommen.
      Das review von Sam Nielson beschreibt die problematik wohl ziemlich gut: http://artsammich.blogspot.de/2015/03/cintiq-27-qhd-touch-review.html

      Was den standfuß angeht (sorry habe ich vergessen drauf einzugehen) kann ich nur vom ergotron arm sprechen, habe es leider auch noch nicht ohne getestet. Da ich das tablet auch nicht sonderlich viel bewege würde ich sogar sagen das kein Standfuss oder arm extra gekauft werden muss. Es genügt wenn man sich etwas baut z.b. eine art tisch-staffelei die das tablet in der gewünschten position hält. Für jemand der mehr bewegung nach links und recht möchte sei der arm zu empfehlen und wenns nur hoch oder runter soll tut s auch der standfuß von wacom, der aber für seine fähigkeiten völlig überteuert ist. Meiner meinung nach.

      Was den unterschied zwischen 24" und 27" ausmacht ist einfach alles, die größe, auflösung, EK-remote, magnetische ränder, edge-to-edge "glass" oberfläche und akurate empfindlichkeit des stifts. Da gab es immer mal probleme zum rand hin bis zu 5mm abweichung, das scheint es nicht mehr zu geben. Achja von der farbwiedergabe und der kalibrierbarkeit reden wir mal nicht;)
      Also für mich gibts nach wie vor keinen grund einen gedanken an das 24" er zu verschwenden, nur wenn platz wirklich so knapp ist, aber selbst dann sollte das 22hd die bessere wahl sein.

      Hoffe ich konnte helfen,
      Viele Grüße von der Mosel

      Delete
  13. Awesome hacks on the cintiq, Oliver.

    I have a question about the glass plate hack, do you have more feel more smoothness from the glass plate to be more loose with your drawing hand? Also how dim does it make the brightness with two layers of glass?

    Ben

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    1. Thanks Benjamin!

      The hack with the glass plate was due to the plastic surface and the scratch issues that came with the 13HD and also other tablets. When I got the 27" it was hard to get any info if it was glass or plastic. As for the feel, I believe it is more smooth than without but you can test that for yourself trying to do some lines over a glass frame with the stylus just for the sake of getting the feel.
      I tend to believe it is a little bit like working on an ipad from the behavior, many artists don´t like that but I prefer that over a rough surface anytime. I never thought about if it makes the hand more loose but since you mentioned it, yes that may be a reason. I doubt the difference with the 24HD will be much but for a few $ it should make sense to try at least.
      The brightnesss does not suffer at all, the only thing I can recommand is to tape the whole plate with isolationtape, otherwise dust will be collected under the plate over time and that is just annoying.

      Delete
  14. Oliver, to be more specific, I'm using a 24HD atm, I'm just wondering if the glass is smoother/less gunky than a glass plate or if its just for the sake of nibs.

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    1. Sorry for the late reply. I also had to get the glass plate back because apparently, even with the 27" being a glass surface, it got some nasty scratches. And since the feeling of working with glass again is quite fresh, I can say that I definitely do prefer the extra glass layer as it is faster, feels smoother and yes, it may save on nibs, but I don´t think that would be a reason.

      Delete
  15. Your review and comments are really useful. Thank you for so much info.
    I was wondering if you ever use the cinitiq in portrait instead of landscape. I see the ergotron arm can do this. The 22 cintiq I think has screen rotation, but not sure about the 27qhd.
    But, maybe I never need to rotate the 27 cause it is so big :-)
    I work in comic illustration.

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    1. Thank you Michael,
      I intended to use the Ergotron arm this way, but after the time now, I never even changed the position once. On one hand because it is not necessary because of the screen-real-estate and on the other hand because it was/is perfect as it is. I never needed to change anything. That is the reason why I detached the arm from the cintiq and plan to use it with the ipad pro instead ;)

      Delete
  16. Hi thanks so much for your review! Ive been using a plastic kind of sticky film for my cintiq companion for awhile now which i found to be pretty bad because of all the air bubbles i get after awhile. I was wondering if you used a specific kind of glass for the overlay and where you got it.

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    1. Hi, glad you found it useful!
      I simply use a regular frameless glass or image holder that you can get at an art material store. The measurementswork for a2 sized glass plates but it is very close to the display area. If you can get a custom glass plate, I´d go for it.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous12/05/2015

    Hi Oliver,

    I was very happy to find your article, and read what you had to say about the Cintiq 27QHD. I actually just purchased one, and I am really looking forward to using it. One thing is holding me up though, and that is the fact that I need to now buy a new Windows PC to use it with. My current computer is older and running Windows Vista. I need something more powerful and more current. Do you have any comments or recommendations about what kind of PC I should get?

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    1. Hi, thanks for reading and for your time to comment.

      I´have put together an article about workstations here: http://www.fantasio.info/2014/01/the-101-guide-to-digital-painting.html
      it´s more like a general overview. It is hard to give a good suggestion as it always has to be based upon the individual needs. One thing I know is that you need a graphics card that supports DisplayPort. Otherwise you will only be able to use HDMI (if at all) and even a converter will only allow for a 1920x1080px output. DisplayPort or DP allows for the full resolution and the 1.03b colors that the Cintiq is capable to diaply.

      If you are on the search for a powerful PC, that article might still suit you. But with the new 5k iMac´s there is a new kid on the block that can beat it all. I never considered Macs for a lot of reasons. But all of these reasons silently vanished for good with the new 27" version that came out late 2015. From 30-bit support (same as the Cintiq uses) to 100% sRGB support, PcieSSD/ extremely fast flash storage and up to 64GB of Ram that is upgradeable and a 5k display(!). The i7 iMac 27" has become a true contender for any workstation out there. And no; I´m not paid to say that, it is just something I observed closely as I need a new workstation soon myself.

      Even if you say you don´t need a workhorse aka i7 processor, these powerhorses awill do their jobs well even in 5 years from now, where everything else might have to be replaced.
      I can tell this from experience as my current PC is an older i7 920 with only 2.4GHz from 5 years ago. And it still beats many current i5 powered PC´s on the market.

      Development in technology especially hardware is set to be bound more and more by hardware restrictions. That means if you buy an Intel i5, you can upgrade ram as much as you want, it will never be faster as the processor controls it all. So actually this means it becomes more and more like buying a new car; the i3 is like the neat little smart fourfour that is fast and handy but you wouldn´t want to ride it 1000 miles. The i5 is like a limousine, comfortable to move even 4 persons, but if you have to overtake it falls short. The i7 seems like a truck, but it has it all, its fast like the fourfour, can fit many more persons and has enough power to overtake when it is necessary.

      It might not make sense if you have a very expensive monitor already, but I need to replace my loved NEC pretty soon, and the new iMac has become the first Mac ever that I would even contemplate to buy.

      I hope I could help.

      All the best,
      Oliver

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12/18/2015

      Hi Oliver,

      Thank you so much for your detailed reply. You gave me a lot of good information, and I will definitely take it all into consideration. I greatly appreciate it.

      All the best, and Merry Christmas!

      Derek

      Delete
  18. Hello, great review!
    I have just bought a cintiq 27qhd and I was wondering what screen protectors would you recommend to use... as I do not want to take any chances with scratching the screen at all because once it is scratched it is scratched.

    I was looking at the posrus screen protectors however on some reviews I heard that these screen protectors can be very hard to apply onto the screen and I have also heard about other screen protectors that just use sticky adhesive around the sides but wouldn't these more easily move around?

    (I like a paper like texture when im drawing and don't want to be slipping and sliding with my pen)


    Also can you please expand on the glass plate hack you mentioned.

    I just want to reinforce my cintiq so it is virtually indestructible .

    Thank so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks for reading and your comment.

      I also thought about protectors for a while but the only one I would use is made of tempered glass and I never came across a product that explicitly says it´s made of it. I use one on the iPad Pro and it is around 1-2mm thick and adhesive. Still on the hunt for it. If I ever come across one, I´ll post it here.

      Until that time, I keep using the glass plate solution as it is the safest and cheapest way to make it indestructible;)

      The paper texture can never be achieve, except if you lay a sheet of paper over the Cintiq, however working on the glassplate is different but it feels naturally after a while. It sure has a sliding feel, but it never feels out of control. Maybe I´m too used to it right now, but I never felt that the sliding factor would be an issue. The opposite is true, once I got used to it, it feels like less pressure is necessary and as a result less wrist pain.

      As for the glass plate; Now I use a plate that is a little bigger (around 50x70cm) perfect would be something around 50x75cm) because that would cover the entire surface area. The reason for the larger plate is that with the smaller one it is easier for dust to be collected in gaps.
      What I also found is that it is important to have the plate lay directly on the screen, nothing inbetween, otherwise dust can move under the plate and you have to clean it every few weeks.

      It is probably not the perfect solution, but cheap and durable.

      The other option that is more costly (but perfect) if you have the exact measurements and have a glazier cut it for you even with the round corners. I´m saving for that right now;)

      To prevent dust to come in from the sides it has to be mounted with a transparent adhesive film. It does not look that nice but after a while you don´t recognize it anymore, so it may be OK. For me it does the trick well.

      Cheers and let me know if you decide for a foil, how your expereince is. Maybe it is useful for someone else as well.

      Delete
  19. hi Oliver,
    i just bought a cintiq 27QHD touch....
    and after 2 days of struggle... i have few queries... if u cud help me.. please?

    1. I am using it on my windows 7 (ultimate) PC using a hdmi cable since my gfx card doesnt have a Displayport input.. but i am not able to get the highest resolution (2560x 1440)..... all i am getting is 1920x1080 ... ?? how can i get the 2560 res?

    2. there is slight lag when i paint a stroke in photoshop (i am using cs5.1 64 bit)?

    3. the touch function doesnt work at all ... neither in windows nor in photoshop (although i do get a on screen text saying 'touch on /off" but it doesnt function... specially the pinch zoom and rotate....??

    4. when i click on the onscreen keyboard button on top.... it doesnt show the keyboard on screen ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Raj,

      thanks for your comment. I try to answer as best as I know below:

      #1 the 2560x1600px resolution is only possible with Diesplayport. HDMI only supports HD up to 1920x1080px. My bet would be to get a new graphics card or an external one, something like this: http://www.startech.com/AV/USB-Video-Adapters/usb-3-4k-displayport-adapter~USB32DP4K

      #2 A lag can be anything from software to hardware as also settings in pgotoshop. Turning the Tilecache from 1024 to 128k works in most cases. Memory assigned to phooshop up to 100% can help too. If that does not do the trick, it can be a lack of Ram memory (8gb or less) or processor to slow or Harddisk to slow.

      3. If the tablet supports touch, it should work. I don´t have the touch version, so I can´t say much about it. the wacom forums http://forum.wacom.eu/viewforum.php?f=3 are a good alternative to the Wacom service that most likely sucks.

      #4 I never use the touch keys on top, didn´t knew there was an onscreen keyboard assignable. But I can imagine that you can assign buttons in the wacom driver/configuration. I did so for some shortcuts and it works quite well but you have to go into the driver settings and do it from there.
      Can´t recall how I did it - but with the newest drivers it is easy.

      Hope I could help.
      Cheers

      Delete
  20. hi oliver

    thnx for ur reply...

    i too figured that i need to change my graphic card.... which i will do ASAP....
    thnx for the other solutions too.. i will try them as well
    thnx again
    raj

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you so much for this review, it actually did help to answer some of my thoughts about the 27QHD and the Ergotron arm.

    I just purchased one myself! :D

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous11/07/2016

    Do you have any tips or tricks on customising the G13 for use in Photoshop or Zbrush (if you use it)? Can you use the stick for pan/zoom?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, not much tricks on that front. I use it everyday with my most used shortkeys but it is merely like the usual keyboard but shortcuts like ALT+SHIFT+i are much easier to press because the ways are shorter. I found this to be working very nicely. If you set the stick to zoom aka ALT+SPACEBAR you can zoom in with the pen or cursor moving to the left/right. If then on the right side the stick has just the spacebar assigned to it, it becomes natural to move the canvas around when moving the stick to the right side. Left side is assigned to rotation (R) which brings all the canvas viewing option to the stick. I believe that is what you are looking for. It is not natively supported to zoom interactively just using the stick out of the box, but assigning these shortcuts is a good compromise.

      Delete
  23. Hello,

    I am debating between 22HD and 27QHD. I always go for the newer technology but in this case I am not so sure. Between the buying the stand separately and the size being huge I am leaning towards the older model. I am also not feeling the remote and the super sleek look of the 27QHD.
    I have used many of the Intuos models and recently got a Companion but I found it was too dim and small, with bad battery life, also I didn't really need the portability that much. I got an iPad pro for on the go sketching.
    Anyway, is it stupid to buy the 5 year old model over the newest one?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Yasemin, thanks for your comment!
      Actually, the only reason I see personally that a purchase of the 22HD makes more sense than the 27QHD is either money or desk space;)

      A friend of mine got a 22HD and is super happy along with an ergotron arm it is a super device.

      Since there are 4k tablets in the making by Wacom, it makes sense to wait a bit and see if there is a 20" or 22" model with 3k or 4k resolution and the newer pens with 8000+ levels of pressure sensitivity. Not that one is going to need the latter, but 4k resolution is the way to go when working up close on a screen. If you can´t wait, why not looking into the 16" pro cintiq? That already has close to 4k resolution and the pro pen, which even more suggests that there will be bigger tablets with better resolutions this year.
      http://www.cgchannel.com/2016/11/wacom-unveils-cintiq-pro-13-and-16-pen-displays/

      Delete
  24. I wanted to give you an update. I did get a Mobile Studio Pro 16. I convinced myself that because I can use it as a mobile computer AND as a Cintiq, that it's the right choice. We'll see. :)

    ReplyDelete

 

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