Hey guys, I just wanted to let you guys know about the Yiynova Msp19u. It is a “Cintiq Alternative” I’ve been reading up on for the past few months, wondering whether I should fork up the cask or not. Luckily I was able to find a craiglist buyer and so I was able to get a hands on look before making my final decision. For an hour, the seller let me play with it and I was immediately impressed and fell in love with the product… I took it off his hands soon after.
So what is the Yiynova Msp19u?
It is basically a cintiq at a more affordable price. It’s 19" of on-screen pressure sensitive greatness. As some of you may know, I’ve been most active in the sketch threads of Core77 and have years of sketching experience. With this product, the learning curve was near instant unlike my first experience with a bamboo and intros tablet. Where to this day, I am still uncomfortable using.
Should anyone buy this?
Yes. Without reading any further. It will be well worth your money. I highly recommend it.
— Keep reading for full details —
What are the specs?
19," 1440x900 LCD display.
VGA port + 1 USB port + 1 Power cable.
2048 levels of pressure sensitivity.
How much is it?
I paid $500 for my used previous gen model (Msp19u).
On Amazon, you can buy the new model (Msp19u+) for $619+$30 shipping.
Or you can pay about $300 more for their top tier model (MVP22u, v2)
Why do you think it’s cheaper?
Brand name
Glass screen
Pen tip to screen distance.
VGA?
Are any of the above actual issues?
The brand identity was the biggest issue as it was brand I never heard of. Luckily for them, they now have my vote for future products.
I’ve used both a graphire and the latest intuos tablets. I’ve always leaned towards the graphire as the plastic surface meant less work to drag the pen across. So the glass screen is something I really enjoy on the Yiynova.
Technically, the distance is HUGE. It’s about half an inch from the tip to the screen. In practice however, you don’t even notice it… at all. I’m talking the moment I drew a line, the distance was history. Not a problem. Nada.
No issues with the VGA port, I got an adapter and it has worked flawlessly.
< Let me know if you have any questions. >
I’ve attached some work samples using the Yiynova MSP19u.
The build quality is solid while using it. I have zero gripes. No creaks or wobbles detected. Same with the stand that lets you adjust the angles.
I’ve only done sketches on my monitor so far. The colors display a little cool compared to my macbook display. IT is possible to calibrate the colors on the Yiynova, but it won’t be as true as your macbook. I believe this where the MVP22u comes in with its IPS display. I’ve heard it has better colors and a higher resolution display.
When I first took it off the buyers hands and placed it in the box and picked it up to put it in my car, I thought I had forgotten to put the monitor inside the box because the box felt so ridiculously light.
Awesome. I was eyeing a few Cintiq alternatives when I graduated. But ended up getting a Cintiq21UX off ebay for really cheap. If your not in a big rush to get one. Save an eBay search and check it periodically. Took me about 4 months, but I picked one up for 400, just got lucky that no one bid against me that time.
Just an idea for those not in a time bind.
Question on the Stand though. How well does it adjust. I constantly raise and lower mine from Monitor mode to drawing mode. How sturdy does it feel when you put a bit of pressure on it to draw?
The stand on the Yiynova feels sturdy for me. I draw with my full arm resting on it with the stand angled at 45 degrees. (I’m 145lbs)
One thing I forgot to mention in the review is the viewing angles. It’s not that great. For sketching, not a problem. But for color-perfect rendering you will need to calibrate the colors and try to position yourself directly above the monitor for the best viewing angle. It totally depends on how you are gonna use it though. I usually only do linework like the samples attached and often sit and position myself the exact same way every time I draw and so it’s a non-issue. But for others who may be rendering and often change their seating position may find that the viewing angles are not up to 'snuff for them.
(I believe the MVP22u has better colors and a wider viewing angle with it’s IPS display)
Thanks for the feedback. It’s an interesting comparison because it does price itself right around the mark of a used Cintiq. Which is good and bad since Cintiq’s do tend to suffer from cables that fail in the long term (especially if they are used very heavily when rotated and spun around).
I wish someone would start taking the 27" 2560x1440 display panels and bundling them into tablets. I want Apple quality visuals and Wacom quality digitizer with no-name pricing.
I was looking at those but found a 22HD Touch that was too good to pass up - do you have any experience with Cintiqs for a hands on comparison of things like resolution, parallax, etc?
Resolution:
The Msp19u has an outdate resolution compared to any of the Cintiqs.
My boss has the old 21ux and I believe, even that one supports a 1600px resolution, whereas the Msp19u is 1440px.
The higher end Yiynova model has a full hd ups display of 1920x1080px like the current gen cintiqs.
Parallax:
As mentioned in the review, it is a significant distance…but in use, its a non-issue. Hard to explain, other than the fact that, once you use it, it’s like the distance isn’t even there.
After actually using the Yiynova, I don’t know if ill ever buy another wacom product. I’ve always used Wacoms, but after doing my research for Yiynova, I’ve discovered other alternative brands that I never even knew existed. Seeing how these brands, are more than capable, the costs feels even more outrageous… I’ll be suggesting non-wacom products to friends going forward.
@mattdesign
Um. I havent touched any of the settings. I am just using the default photoshop cursor settings where it shows you the brush shape of the selected brush. So i guess the cursor is turned on?
Here’s a photo sample of the parallax and cursor offset. (I’m using a flat brush)
That picture is truly worth a thousand words. (Maybe even a thousand dollars in saving?) The effect from the drawing view doesn’t seem bad at all.
Using Sketchbook Pro, I’ve gotten used to turning off the cursor. The style of sketches I do don’t require pixel perfect alignment, so Yiynova is starting to look pretty good…
