No idea, I should be buying my first tablet next month and could use some ointers on which to get.

Get an intuos3. I got a... 9x11 I think, and its fantastic. Bamboos are good if you really dont plan on doing much, but if you have an intentions to get into digital design/art, you really want an intuos so you have some room to grow.

You can get them for like $300, or even down to $230 if you qualify for educational pricing.

The trade-off is obviously price vs power.

Bamboos are great for very casual use. If youll be doing anything more, get the intuos.

I have one. I'm a beginner and I really like it. If I end up doing more heavy duty stuff I'll upgrade but it's perfect for me. I love the size and ease of use.

@againstbound - From what I've heard, Wacoms are the way to go. JohnnyUtah on Newgrounds wrote a mini-guideon Wacom graphics tablets and that's kind-of what I based my descision on.
I'll post the mini-guide here:
"my opinion on the current line of wacom tablets based on my own experiences, because a few of you have asked. I'm reciting from memory, i may have small details wrong. alright here we go:

BAMBOO - the most affordable model, comes in 2 sizes, I'd recommend the larger models, but any of em will do.. Good all round tablet and you can do pretty much everything with it. Best if you work mostly in flash...works just as well as the intuos tablets for flash work.

GRAPHIRE - this used to be cheap-o model tablet, but I guess they turned into the battery powered wireless model now. I've never used the new ones, but I guess if you like sitting back away from your desk and drawing on your lap...hey this might be the way to go.

INTUOS - comes in many sizes, I recommend the 6x8 or 6x11 depending on if you have a regular or widescreen monitor. keep the size ratios between tablet and monitor as close as possible.

It has more levels of sensitivity as well as determining the tilt of your pen, great for flash but even moreso photoshop. tilt comes in handy when using photoshop brushes like the airbrush. also includes programmable shortcut keys on the tablet surface.

CINTIQ - comes in 3 sizes. 12WX being the smallest and most affordable. (it's very close in dimensions to the intuos 6x11, but SLIGHTLY bigger) I like this size because I can lay it flat on my desk and still have the keyboard in front for easy access to key commands. you can draw directly on it's screen, but beware, the larger models may have some lag between cursor and pen. the 12WX has some very, very minimal lag, - only apparent when you're drawing very quickly. all models have a built in stand for drawing at an elevated angle. also comes with programmable shortcut keys on the tablet surface. Did i mention these are all expensive?

check em all out at wacom.com (but don't buy em there, check amazon.com or other pc retailers for better prices.)

...................

And look, for anybody thinking they NEED the best and most expensive shit, keep in mind I've seen guys draw art and create flash animation for television using an old graphire 4x5 wacom rivaling the best quality on this site. If you're into drawing, ALL these tablets run circles around doing it with a mouse."

I'm going to buy one soon myself.
My mother was going to buy me a Bamboo for christmas but they weren't in stock so she put one on order. Now I've done a little bit of reading up on them I think I'll go for a Intuos and pay the extra myself.
I suppose if you are not sure you could always get the Bamboo, use it for a while and if you feel like upgrading later you should still get a decent price for it on eBay so you won't really be out of pocket by very much.

I've got a cheap-o Graphire 3 myself. I prefer my Intuos that I have at work, though the buttons on the side aggravate me to no end.

i just got the new bamboo tablet


works great i think.. im still trying to get used to it

I have a bamboo, and I used to have 9x11 tablet as well. The bamboo is more than capable of handling big jobs once you get used to the small size. I'd say it's definitely worth it since your saving $200+

you can always go to best buy or something and purchase a more expensive tablet, and then return it before 30 days goes by.

I think that if you're doing vector work then it doesn't matter so much what you use - all you need is accuracy, as opposed to pressure-sensitivity.

If you're going into digital painting, then by all means plump for an Intuos.

I have that and I love it.