MINI TESTS
SMOKE NINJA £299/$249 smoke-ninja.com
Whether you’re trying to create an eerie atmosphere or endeavouring to make a cold cup of tea look like it’s just been brewed, incorporating a touch of smoke can elevate your content. Until now, adding smoke has been a cumbersome experience, requiring a large unit to deliver the haze. But the handheld, battery-powered Smoke Ninja changes all that. Not dissimilar in size to a mobile phone from the nineties, the Smoke Ninja can’t quite be called pocketable. But the supplied carrying case – which includes unit, nozzles, fluid and more accessories – comfortably fits inside a gadget bag along with camera rig and lenses. It’s the sort of thing you could take everywhere you go and keep ready to hand – rather than having to plan hiring a unit.
is claimed to be 5m/16.4ft, but since it’s a radio signal, this will decrease depending on the environment. An optional Magic Remote is also available to pair up to ten individual units across four channels. One nice design touch is the way you can connect the magnetic and 1/4in mount adapters. Just slide the battery cover open and the adapters slot into a set of grooves on either side of the unit. With these attached, the Smoke Ninja can easily be attached to a metallic object or standard tripod screw. Runtimes are limited to prevent the unit from overheating – 30 seconds in Dry Ice mode, 60 seconds in Fog and 120 seconds in Steam. In these short periods of time, the unit can kick out a serious amount of smoke. A single battery charge will deliver 15 minutes of runtime, with LEDs on the front of the unit showing battery health. Recharging takes 1.5 hours. While this isn’t going to replace a large smoke machine, it’s perfect for on-the-move creativity whether you’re a filmmaker, photographer or both. One thing to be aware of is that it’s not silent in use – the whirring sound of the motor will need to be factored in if you’re using the unit close to the camera. RP PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 8/10 Versatile and surprisingly powerful handheld gadget Pros: Generates a good amount of smoke, easy to use Cons: Not silent in use
Set-up is simple and, if you’re a vaper, the procedure will feel familiar. Take the bottle of (vegetable glycerin- based) fluid, fill the tank and power the unit up with three presses of the on/ off button. You can then choose from one of three modes, Fog, Dry Ice and Steam, before pressing and holding the trigger button to start smoke generation almost instantly. The Fog and Dry Ice settings create the stronger outputs of smoke. Fog is slightly more transient than Dry Ice, but they both generate an impressive amount of smoke for such a small unit. Steam is less intense - perfect for food that needs to look like it’s just been taken out of the oven. Further versatility is provided by the supplied shaping nozzles, which press into the top of the Smoke Ninja. The push-fit connection is a little basic – it would be better if they were bayonet or screw-in - but does allow the tubes and diffuser to be quickly and easily configured to your needs. You don’t have to use any of these accessories, though, if you’re after a wider spread of smoke. A remote control is also included to wirelessly extend the unit’s trigger button. This is ideal when you want to hide the Smoke Ninja in a tight space and trigger smoke as required. In my non-scientific tests, I found that stepping any more than approximately 3m/10ft away reduced the robustness of the wireless connection. That may limit applications a little, but it’s a useful feature. The working distance
FOG CHORUS The Ninja can deploy a strong plume (above) or more subtle puff (above left) for a realistic hot cuppa
SPECIFICATIONS
Capacity: 9ml Runtime: 15 mins at max output (Fog mode) Liquid consumption: 0.5ml/min in Fog and Dry Ice modes, approx
0.1ml/min in Steam mode Operation angle: 0-90° Lifespan: 100 hours of smoke output
Battery: 3400mAh, 3.7v rechargeable, type 18560 Charging time: 1.5 hours for a full charge, via USB-C connection
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