![]() Noise: Both drawing toys can be very quiet in use, but the Magna Doodle has the advantage. ![]() It may require fastidious technique to make full use of the Magna Doodle's entire dynamic range, but the reward of good craftsmanship is an available bit depth of approximately 3 bits. The Magna-Doodle, on the other hand, allows for at least 6 clearly visible shades from lightest to darkest. The Etch A Sketch has a bit depth of exactly 1 bit. Simply put, the Etch A Sketch has no available gradations between its darkest marks and its lightest lack of marks. ![]() Tonality: In terms of tonality, the Etch A Sketch cannot even begin to hold its own against the Magna Doodle. Nevertheless, I will go out on a limb and venture that the Etch A Sketch has a slightly higher apparent resolution. Since the type of markings produced on an Etch A Sketch are so different than the types of markings produced on a Magna Doodle, it can be difficult to meaningfully compare resolution between the two. (Hopefully the Etch A Sketch Mark II and the Magna Doodle 2X, scheduled for release at Photokina 2006, will successfully address these problems) Both this problem with the Etch A Sketch and this problem with the Magna Doodle can be closely compared to a digital camera sensor's potential spillover of charge into adjacent photosites in the chip. In the case of the Magna Doodle, the magnetophoretic action of the metal oxides can cause an existing line to be partially disrupted if you bring the magnetic stylus too close to the existing line while drawing a new one. In the case of the Etch A Sketch, the stylus will flake substantial sections of aluminum powder off of the internal glass screen from between lines, if you draw a new line too close to an existing line. Resolution: Both the Etch A SKetch and the Magna Doodle have some real issues with fine detail, due to difficulties of drawing a new line too close to one that is already onscreen. The Ohio Art Company's Etch A Sketch has been around for longer than the Fisher Price Magna Doodle, and has held a dominant position in the erasable-drawing-board toy arena, but how does the less established Magna Doodle compare in terms of picture quality, durability, ergonomics, specifications, and value-what a working professional needs in a professional tool?
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