If you’ve ever followed any level of Instagram photography trends, or have a hipster friend from college who runs a wedding photography business, you’re probably familiar with how smoke and smog machines can be used for a specific style of model photography.

However, while that might be a great tool and technique for those photographers, it’s not the only use of smoke and smog machines. And, in fact, smoke can be a very helpful tool to use in your video shoots as a way to instantly help make them more volumetric and cinematic.

Smoke and smog machines are nothing new of course, but they are getting smaller, smarter, and more indie—which is what you’ll find with this new SmokeNinja, a next-gen portable smoke machine being launched via Kickstarter.

Let’s take a look at this SmokeNINJA and explore how it might actually be one of the best—and most affordable—smoke machines for video.

The SmokeNINJA Next-Gen Portable Smoke Machine

Being launched on Kickstarter by the Hong Kong-based company PMI Gear, the SmokeNINJA is a follow-up of the brand’s popular SmokeGENIE fog machine which offers the majority of the same features but housed in a larger body.

The SmokeNINJA on the other hand promises to be the smaller and more easy-to-use option which should provide a wider range of features including battery power, wireless handheld and remote controls, and plenty of different smoke and smog effect options.

There’s been a lot of atomization added throughout this transition from the SmokeGENIE to the SmokeNINJA as well, making this NINJA version most likely the superior and probably more popular option of the two—and perhaps on the market overall once the Kickstarter is done and the product is officially launched.

Multiple Fog Types and Uses for Video

SmokeNINJA bundle

A bundle of all the gear that comes with the SmokeNINJA

Credit: PMI Gear

Now, as you can see on the Kickstarter and in the video above, the SmokeNINJA is going to be marketed to photographers first, but videography also appears to be very much on their minds as their close secondary market as well. And that probably makes sense too as photography does use these effects quite a bit more.

However, just because your Instagram photographer friend uses smoke every shoot, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider adding it to many of your projects as well. With multiple fog types, you can use the SmokeNINJA to help create atmospheric environments to mimic foggy settings, and smoke-filled bars or even provide steamy textures to food or product videos.

There are plenty of more ways to use it too, but you can most likely experiment and find options yourself as the SmokeNINJA should be as portable as they come being capable of 100 hours of coil longevity and 40 times the output of its competition—plus featuring their own blend of patented “clean fog” technology shouldn’t stink up your sets.

Price and Availability

As mentioned above, the SmokeNINJA is currently on Kickstarter and looking for backers right now. PMI is offering several different bundles with the cheapest coming in at $199 (currently sold out) and ranging up to $458 for two units.

Shipments are expected to begin on October 2nd though and come with a two-year warranty as well.

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