Exclusive Cintiq 13HD review

Wacom released its 13 inch, high definition Cintiq yesterday, and after getting our hands on the lightweight addition, we can assure you that it's diminutive in size only – it's £750 for a start!

The global makers of pen tablets have heeded user's calls for a tablet-like device with all the clout you'd expect from the Cintiq name.

But this is not a tablet! It has an HD screen, runs full versions of painting software, and has many more of the features of its bigger siblings. This means it still needs a mains, PC, and USB connection (though they're a lot neater than, say, the cable set up of an Intuos 5 - see below).

So, you won't be able to take to 13HD outside for your lunchtime sketch sessions. But there are other features that are certain to interest the digital artist.

Our first impressions were its lightness, immediately followed by how cool it was... as in, not on fire!

Artists have been vocal about their dislike of the larger Cintiq's resemblance to a radiator after a couple of hours work. The model we played with had been on for four hours, and there was no heat at all.

The new Pro Pen has 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. Great! But what does that actually mean? It means that the control you can get from this is amazing, the pen is really responsive.

As with previous Cintiqs, you can program all the buttons to fully personalise your painting experience. This new pen will also work on all previous Wacom tablets (down to Intuos 4), should you wish to keep the old timers around!

And there's loads, loads more... Keep your eye out for our full review with digital artists in mind, in an upcoming issue of ImagineFX.

Get your digital issue now, and check out all our reviews before everyone else.