Wacom Cintiq 16 Drawing Tablet with Screen, 15.4" Full HD Display Graphic Arts Tablet Includes Pro Pen 2 w/ Tilt Response, Graphic Design Animation Display Pad for Mac, PC

The media could not be loaded. Full-Disclosure: Wacom sent me this new Cintiq 22 to review. I was not given any parameters of how to review it or persuaded in anyway to review it with a predetermined outlook. The following are my own personal views and opinions.Background: My name is Kyle and I am the owner of Freshwater Bay Creative design studio. I have been a creative professional since 1996 doing everything from video game backgrounds, conceptual art, storyboarding, illustration, editorial graphic design, craft beer label/can design and everything in between. Over the past twenty years I’ve used several Wacom products starting with the Intuos line of tablets in the late ‘90s and even the first Cintiq 21UX back in ‘04/’05. I’ve personally owned/own the Intuos2, Cintiq 12wx, Cintiq Companion Hybrid, MobileStudio Pro 16 and now the Cintiq 22.Review: While I may mention some specifications this is not a review about specs. If you want those they are listed in the product description. I'm far more interested in how the device works for making art.Pros:- Full HD 1920x1080 screen resolution.- Large screen for big, broad pen strokes.- Heavy weight, solid stand attached to the back is fantastic and very easy to adjust.- Screen surface is smooth, not slick.- Works beautifully with the supplied Pro Pen 2. Works even better with the Pro Pen Slim!- It’s big!- Refresh rate makes for very quick pen strokes with no noticeable lag.- Stays cool. Does not get hot after working on it for several hours straight.Cons:- Full HD 1920x1080 will seem a bit soft after using a 4K screen- Color gamut, even after calibrating the screen, seems a bit dark and lacks some saturation.- No express keys.- No Touch input- It’s big! (Not really a con, just make sure you have the desk space for it.)- Three separate cables attached instead of 3-in-1 cable.- No USB ports on the sides for thumb drives, etc.At the time of this writing I’ve been using the Cintiq 22 daily for about a week on a Windows 10 computer. But for the past several years I’ve been producing the majority of my work on a Companion Hybrid hooked up to my primary work station as well as a MobileStudio Pro 16. So moving from a 13” screen and 16” screen, respectively, had an immediate and positive impact on my drawing movements. Being able to draw using my entire arm because of a larger surface space along with drawing in details while having more of the image visible is incredible. One can do beautiful work on a smaller screen but if you appreciate large, sweeping arm movements to create your work then this is definitely a great size for that. There is also plenty of space for floating menus, etc.The attached monitor stand, which comes standard with the Cintiq 22, makes for excellent ergonomics and comfort while working. It is beautifully engineered for easy adjustment, solidly built and heavy with the rubber grips (located on a solid metal bar along with rubber grips located on the bottom edge of the device itself) keep the Cintiq 22 in place. There is no wobble, sliding or give when drawing with reasonable pressure. Resolution is a bit soft when doing line work, especially having used a 4K screen, but one can still put down very smooth and quick cross hatching, feathering or paint strokes. [Note: check your App Scaling settings in Win10 and make sure it is set to 100% for best results.]The screen surface has a non-reflective coating that gives a slight bit of tooth for drawing. Since it isn’t etched glass some may not like the slight parallax distance between the pen tip and the cursor. However, I’ve never had an issue with this after properly calibrating the pen tool.The biggest thing missing from this tablet are programmable Express Keys. I tend to use a keyboard for many actions but on other tablets I have Express Keys programmed for multiple uses. I honestly didn’t realize how often I used them until I didn’t have them anymore. I still find myself grabbing the left edge of the Cintiq 22 expecting to press a button only to find nothing there. It’s definitely a feature I miss. (Wacom does have a programmable remote with Express Keys but it is sold separately. I might be investing in one soon.) On screen menus can still be accessed through the Pro Pen buttons though. But even then you can only interact with them through the use of the Pro Pen since there is no touch input. Forget zooming or rotating your canvas with your free hand. I personally don’t use this feature much (it’s usually turned off) so I don’t miss it. But if that is a deal breaker for you then you’ll need to look at the Cintiq Pro line instead.This next thing isn’t a negative but just something to be aware of...The device is big and needs plenty of space both in width and depth for it to be comfortable on a desk. Especially if you like to work with a second monitor and/or keyboard set next to it. When the monitor is stood straight up the stand extends 9” behind it. When lowered it will need up to the full depth of the device including space for the connected cables. (That’s approximately 15” of open space behind the device.) There are three separate cables (HDMI, USB, Power) that protrude from the back, top left of the machine. Apparently the Cintiq 16 version of this device comes with a single 3-in-1 cable for all of this. I would have preferred that cable over the three separate cables but it is hardly an issue. If you have the space and keep them managed with your other computer cables it won’t be a problem.Color on the device isn’t as sharp or saturated as I’d prefer. I used a ColorMunki device to calibrate both my primary monitor and the Cintiq 22. It got them matched remarkably close but some colors and values (particularly bright/saturated) come off a bit soft and lack some contrast. Also, areas of black aren’t as inky and rich. None of this is a deal killer. I’m being extremely nit-picky in my assessment. Drawing and inking line art is no problem and looks great. Painting and coloring, if calibrated properly, will give you very close color approximation. But working in tandem with a second monitor and/or double checking your work on another screen or two is always recommended.Another thing to note that I’m extremely happy about is the lack of heat! Working other Cintiq devices they can get a little warm when going non-stop all day. Working on the 22 it never once got hot or even warm.Set-up was also extremely easy. Make sure you have the latest Wacom driver and it will work right away. All you'll need to do to start working is calibrate your pen, monitor color and, if you want, program your onscreen menus.Finally, the Cintiq 22 is Wacom’s answer to the “entry level” tablet market. But don’t let that fool you. The Cintiq 22 is a high-end creative tablet perfectly capable of creating your professional quality artwork on, in my opinion. Yes, the “Pro” Cintiq line sports higher resolution screens, better color gamut and more bells and whistles but if you’re an independent freelancer that doesn’t want to break the bank then this will absolutely get the job done.I didn’t talk about the Pro Pen 2 because it’s been around and it’s fantastic. But if you haven’t tried the Pro Pen Slim yet, it’s a must have. Feels great in the hand, light weight, feels like a brush or pencil and is amazing on a large screen like the 22. Check it out.I'm sure I missed something. So if you have any questions give me a shout.

The media could not be loaded. I am an illustrator and animator (@inkshift) with over 14 years of experience working for Disney & Cartoon Network here in Portland, OR. I've also been a Wacom user for over 20 years, so let me open this review by saying they really knocked it out of the park with this new Cintiq 22.This is also my 4th Cintiq, so you judge for yourself if i have a problem or not ;) I have the 27” pro at my office as well as the new 16 and a super old 12” in addition to a handful of tablets dating all the way back to the late 90s.This Cintiq 22 is part of their new line of more affordable Cintiqs Wacom started rolling out this year and it really seems to be the golden mean between the smaller 16 and the larger Pros. Full disclosure: Wacom DID provide me this unit for review purposes but I hereby solemnly swear all views in this review are entirely my own and 100% my own opinions.First off: the pressure sensitivity is beautiful and virtually indistinguishable from my 27” pro, which cost over twice as much. As you can see in the attached timelapse of an illustration I did on this 22, each line came out exactly like I wanted it: smooth tapers, no shaky lines, no blotches, weird unintended textures or weird ends to my strokes.The included Pro Pen 2 is a solid, comfortable pen and really helps you feel the 8192 levels of pressure. You can also the new Pro Pen slim if you want a sleeker pen but i prefer the stubbier feel.Secondly, the overall build quality and polish impresses, it is very solid and the design is professional and clean. Small detail but important to me: the power button is easily pushed and feels pleasant and responsive.The entire machine feels very sturdy while not being too heavy. I kind of wish they brought back the side buttons they had on the 12” and 21” but I can see how it makes sense ergonomically and aesthestically to leave those off. It should be noted that this 22” doesn’t come with a remote or a bluetooth keyboard, which is not a deal breaker for me because my 27” came with the remote and I never use it.It DOES however come with a fantastic, preattached stand! The new stand is sturdy, stable, lightweight, solid metal with non-slip rubber grippy feet, easy to use and highly flexible. Wacom REALLY came through for its users with the stand this time, as I have not been a fan of the stands of the past: they’re either huge, expensive, cumbersome and awkward to operate or they just have the little fold out legs, which are simply insufficient for long term use and you’d need to invest in an extendable arm that can keep your Cintiq suspended/supported.One difference between the pro line and this newer, more affordable line is that these units do not have a bonded glass display. THis means that there’s a tiny bit of space between the pen and the screen and that generally means there is more parallax (the offset between the cursor and the pen), but it was not noticeable to me once I calibrated it properly. The screen has an anti-glare surface which feels nice and smooth, not slick or slippery at all with just the right amount of texture to it.Another difference between this 22 and the pro line is the Adobe RGB colour range. This Cintiq sports a 72% Adobe RGB vs a 97% for the pro line, but I don’t think you will be disappointed (or honestly really notice? I didn’t) unless you’re super tuned into colour and colour correction or need the most accurate representation possible. But at that point, you should probably be investing in the pro line.Like I said, I also have the new 16 which is also great but felt a bit small to me and became cumbersome very quickly for when I needed a number of palettes/windows open. At 22”, (21.5” viewable), that is is not a problem here at all.Wacom has paid great attention to detail in packaging as well as the attached power cords: it includes a British power plug free of charge, as well as 2 different orientations of power cords: horizontal and vertical. As you can see in my unboxing clip, I’m a little surprised by the amount of power cables at first glance but upon further inspection it all makes sense.Setup was very easy: 3 cables as seen in the picture. The HDMI cable is a welcome addition compared to the 3-in-1 cables, which are a bit messy, cumbersome and require complete replacement should ONE of them have an issue.Things to note!I didn’t bother adjusting the pressure curve settings because they were great out of the box, but I did change the click speed and I also deactivated Windows Ink (I use windows 10). I don’t understand what Windows ink is for but all it seems to do to me is make you unable to drag/select text in input fields.Conclusion:All in all, this is a beautiful and affordable piece of equipment. It is technically part of their ‘budget’ line but there is nothing budget about the size or the quality of this device. The size, design and build quality exude class and quality and the pen and pressure sensitivity are best in class.While the unit is not small, it strikes a perfect balance between spacious and compact. It doesn’t take over your whole desk like my larger units nor does it break the bank at $1200. I would definitely recommend this to the professional on a budget or a very lucky/forward thinking student or hobbyist.PROS:- Buttery smooth & responsive pressure sensitivity- Smooth but not slick anti-glare surface- Solid build quality and professional look & feel- Comes with a sturdy, stable and flexible stand- Great size with room for longer strokes and all the palettes/windows you may need open- Stays cool even when working on it all dayCONS:- “Only” full HD (1920 x 1080) vs the 4k of newer models but I have the 4k model as well and I haven’t been botheredby any potential pixelation. All my illustrations are all made at 600 Dpi and I haven't noticed any problems.- Mine had 1 dead pixel but I only notice it when I look for it. I streamed a commission earlier today in myInkshift Facebook group and didn't notice it once.