This graphics tablet has everything you will need – it does an extremely fast digitizing job (turning hand-drawn images into digital signals), but it's also lots fun to work with. Because of its 16.7-million-colours LED display, it really is a joy to design with. These are just a few nice things about this product, there are many more good points to cover.
Features of the Wacom Cintiq 13HD DTK-1300
This digitizer seems ideal for professionals who appreciate quality. If you are a graphic designer or your job involves creating 2D video game characters, this tablet might just be your best choice. There are a number of reasons for this claim, starting with the fact that its impressive high-resolution display provides you with a perfect picture at a 178° viewing angle. On top of that, designers will also find its Pro Pen pretty useful. In fact, the pen is what sometimes makes the difference between a good and a bad drawing tablet. Wacom’s Pro Pen definitely belongs to the quality pens category as it covers 2048 levels of pressure.
It also features a tilt recognition technology. On top of everything, the drawing pen is nice to use due to its ergonomic design. Speaking of ergonomic design, the same is the case with the tablet itself. It’s easy to handle and is very compact. With its dimensions being 375 x 248 x 14 millimetres, and weight of 1.2 kilos, you won’t have problems moving this tablet from one place to another. An additional feature that provides comfort is the 3-in-1 cable, which won’t cause cable clutter. Although it can sometimes hinder movement if you are someone who likes to design / draw when sitting at odd angles. When it comes to the cable, it is used to connect the device to a Windows based PC or Apple Mac. Will work just fine with a laptop too.
Wacom Cintiq 13HD Specifications
- Display – What makes this device stand out from the competition is its HD LED display. We’ve already mentioned that it renders 16.7 million colours, but it is important to note that it creates an extremely sharp image because of the high number of pixels. By high, we mean that its resolution is 1,920 x 1,080.
- Pro Pen – In order to draw good images on the drawing tablet, you need to have a quality stylus. The Pro Pen has 2,048 levels of pressure-sensitivity, same as many other pen-like styluses. However, Pro Pen also features an ergonomic design and tilt recognition tech, which is one of the reasons why Wacom Cintiq 13HD is more expensive than its rivals.
- 3-in-1 Cable – Connecting this device with PC or Mac is fairly simple. All you have to do is connect the two devices via the 3-in-1 cable and that's it. You're let free to create art work.
- Shortcut Buttons – This device features customizable ExpressKeys, which you can set to perform tasks that you need most often. There’s also the Home button and the Rocker ring.
- Detachable Stand – This review wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention that Wacom Cintiq 13HD comes with a detachable stand that offers three working angles to choose from. If you prefer holding the tablet in your hands or on the desk, you can simply detach the stand.
Pros & Cons
The chances are that you’ll love this product if you are a graphic designer who does lots of sketching and drawing, especially because of the following features:
- Excellent HD LED display
- Ergonomic Pro Pen
- Detachable stand
- Compatibility with Mac or Windows
- Compact dimensions and light in weight
- 3-in-1 cable that prevents clutter
When it comes to the bad points about this product, they are not easy to find. Wacom rules the roost at this price point. Still, there are things that could be better, like these two for example:
- Price – Although it isn’t an expensive tablet, there are similar products that cost less than Cintiq 13HD. One of those is Artisul D13. Admittedly, this digitizer is almost just as good as the Cintiq 13 DTK-1300, and it costs less to buy.
- Drivers – Some people have had a hard time getting the drivers to work with their system. Although, most people who encountered problems did manage to find the solution online and get up and running without too much of an issue.
Final Verdict
Cintiq 13HD DTK-1300 was developed by Wacom to be used as a tablet for drawing and sketching. It has everything you need to take those two tasks to a whole new level. In fact, it’s almost guaranteed that you will have a great time working on it as its display is a wonder to behold. It also comes with an excellent pen and all the features needed for doing a good design work. The only downside of it seems to be the fact that it’s a tad pricier than the rest, but in the long run, it pays off handsomely with the quality of work you are able to produce. Since this "review" was written, there has been a few newer models released in various screen sizes.
The updated version of the model talked about here, is the Wacom DTH1320AK0 Cintiq Pro 13". Reviews are quite mixed, and make an interesting read. Some good, some bad. A lot of of the bad reviews stem from either the drivers being hard to install, or an overall annoying out-the-box experience coupled with poor build quality. With that said, and with all other things considered, including the price differences, I would go with the older model.
