Amateur Photographer verdict
It may be low in cost, but the Colbor Cineflare CF5 certainly doesn’t skimp on features. If you want to add some atmosphere to your video or stills, it’s a great choice.- Good price
- Works well
- Wide range of options
- Programmable
- Some features could be simpler to use
- Hard to avoid getting glycerin on the body
The Colbor CineFlare CF5 is a handheld device that gives us plenty of control over the quality of the fog/smoke/mist it produces. While it can fill a room with a thick haze when needed, its size and accessories also lend themselves to the exact placement of precise little clouds on the still life table. It has a rubberised grippy coating, and a neat rotatable head so it can act as a smoke stick or be angled like a pistol.
Colbor CineFlare CF5 at a glance:
- $129 / £119
- Hand-held smoke machine
- Built-in 2500mAh battery
- 30 mins of full power smoke per charge
- 12ml oil canister lasts 10 mins
- Weight 398g including fan
- colborlight.com
Inside the device, we have a 12ml canister that we fill with the supplied plant-based food-grade glycerin to give us 25 different density choices. These can mimic a hazy mist, a thick fog, a smoky atmosphere or dry ice that sits low on the table. We can use the device with a range of nozzles, a flexible tube that allows us to place the smoke with some accuracy, and a sponge attachment that creates dense clouds that sit in one place.
We also get a fan attachment that will blow the fog into the air to disperse it more widely when needed. With five speeds the fan can do this to differing degrees, and with an RGB ring light about the exhaust, we can also add colour to the smoke for instant dramatic effect.
Everything the CineFlare CF5 does can be controlled either using the buttons on the main body and those on the fan unit, or via the supplied remote control. A display panel on the side of the main body helps us navigate the numerous control combinations, while the remote allows multiple CF5 units to be controlled at once from a range of 10m.
Colbor CineFlare CF5 key features:
- Fan unit: Magnetic 5-speed fan unit with RGB coloured lights to illuminate the smoke
- Remote control: Supplied remote has a 10m range and can control multiple CF5 units
- Twist head: Head can be kept upright like a stick or twisted to an angle for pistol-like handling
- Carry Case: The CF5, the accessories and a bottle of glycerin come in a neat carry case
While the CF5 is a handheld unit that can be waved around at will, it also has a tripod thread so it can be planted in place and controlled remotely from the camera position.
Usefully, we have a number of programmable options that allow us to produce long bursts of smoke. But we can also ask the CF5 to burp smoke at set intervals to keep the smoke levels topped up, and we can set the number of puffs it produces with each episode. It’s remarkably sophisticated, should we want it to be.
With so many options via so few buttons, some time studying the manual is inevitable. It’s advisable to keep the manual to hand for forgetful moments should there be more than a day’s break between one use and the next.
Colbor CineFlare CF5: Our Verdict
This is very neat and useful fog machine that will suit still life and product photographers as much as portrait photographers and videographers. It gives us low-cost access to some cool effects, and it is controllable enough to give a hint of haze or the effect of a full blown house fire. It’s simple to make it produce fog, but the more advanced controls need some study.
The battery life is good though, the glycerin lasts well, and the fog doesn’t smell or leave a film. It is a bit leaky so expect to experience some glycerin on the barrel, but it doesn’t drip or make too much of a mess. In all, it’s very good, especially for the price. I’ll be using it a lot.
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