LENSGO has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to back their latest innovation, the Portable Fog Machine Smoke-S. This device is equipped with a USB-C port for recharging and can fill a 20m3 room in just one minute. Let’s explore all its features!
Fog and smoke have been continuously present in the filmmaking industry. From horror movies to music videos, they’ve set the mood and tone in various scenes. With adequate lighting (mainly backlight or sidelight), fog also adds depth and enhances an image’s tridimensionality, increasing the production value of the final work.
The main issues with fog and smoke are the difficulty in controlling it and the time it takes to set up the machines correctly. Also, the size of fog machines makes them hard to hide or carry for small crews or solo filmmakers. Most units must also be plugged into an electrical power supply, although we have recently seen units powered by V-mount batteries.
Addressing these issues, LENSGO’s new portable Fog Machine Smoke-S arrives as a convenient solution thanks to its size, ease of use, and versatility. Let’s take a closer look at it.
LENSGO Smoke-S – Versatility in a portable kit
Designed to be simple to use, the Smoke-S model releases the smoke with a simple double click and stops it with a single click. Thanks to the included accessories, we can use different modes, making it a versatile unit for most needs during a shoot.
The Film Level Mist mode is helpful for standard shootings when we want to add atmosphere to the scene. The fog is odor-free and diffuses quickly giving us more time to prepare the scene than with standard smoke machines.
The second mode is called ‘Portrait’. Thanks to the unit’s coil atomization technology, we can control the smoke and place it in different locations using the straight tubes included in the kit.
The Dry Ice mode allows us to shape the smoke in unique ways to produce a liquid smoke effect, all without the need for using actual dry ice. This mode is especially useful in food and product photography and videography.
Finally, the Incense Burning mode replicates this effect thanks to a silicon hose and a high-pressure nozzle.
The product comes with a bag, all the accessories needed for the different modes, and six liquid refill units. The liquid used to create the smoke is safe and environmentally friendly. The unit also includes an infrared control with an operating range of up to 10 meters. With it, you can position several fog machines in your scene and have complete control over them, making it possible to fill larger areas. We can activate and deactivate the smoke release with one button.
The unit takes about 3 hours to charge fully, and the battery lasts around 25 minutes of continuous use, which should be enough for most situations.
Price and availability
The Indiegogo campaign is live until November 23, and the estimated delivery is November 2023. These units are offered at varying price points and packages, beginning at $93 for early birds and going up to $208 for a bundle that comprises a Smoke-S unit along with a Smoke-B unit (which is LENSGO’s previous model). For more information about the campaign and the different buying options, please visit the site here.
As always, please take into account that backing a crowdfunding campaign has its risks. We encourage you to research and remember that there is a chance for delays and changes in the final models, and some products are never delivered. Please read carefully Indiegogo’s terms and conditions before backing a project like this.
Have you used fog and smoke in your productions? What were your main challenges to make the scene work? Let us know in the comments!
