Fog Yeah! The Ulanzi FM01 Fogger Smoke Machine Reviewed

Holy Smokes: The Ulanzi FM01 Tutorial and DIY Fog Liquid

By Conrad Knuist · Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist · 18+ years in photography

You have seen it in music videos, fashion shoots, and cinematic portraits. That low-lying mist curling across the floor. Haze drifting through a beam of light. The kind of atmosphere that turns a good image into something that looks like it came off a film set. Getting that look in a studio is straightforward enough. Getting it on location has always been the problem.

Traditional fog machines need a wall socket, a five-minute warm-up, and someone standing at the machine to trigger each burst. They produce the same output every time with no way to dial it in. On a wedding dance floor or a hillside location shoot, they are more logistical headache than creative tool. Most photographers simply work without them.

The Ulanzi FM01 FILMOG Ace is a 40W handheld fog machine built to fix all of that. Battery-powered, wireless-controlled, and small enough to fit in your camera bag. In this review, we test it across portrait setups, product photography, and event conditions to see how it actually performs in the field.

The FM01 comes with swappable 18650 batteries, a 2.4 GHz wireless remote with colour screen, six nozzle attachments, 60ml of vegetable glycerin fog juice, and a carrying bag. It mounts on any 1/4" thread and produces odour-free, dust-free fog safe for indoor use around clients and equipment. One kit, ready for any shoot.

View the Ulanzi FM01

Why Fog Effects Are Such a Pain on Location

Atmospheric fog has been a tool of photographers and cinematographers for as long as either profession has existed. Low-lying mist on a dance floor. Haze through a beam of light during a portrait session. That soft, diffused atmosphere that turns a well-lit scene into something that looks deliberately cinematic. The effect is widely used in advertising, fashion, and wedding photography for a reason: it works.

Getting it on location is where the frustration starts. A standard fog machine requires mains power, typically 1000W or more, a warm-up period before the first burst, and a physical trigger button on the unit itself. You cannot operate it from your camera position. Each burst is the same density regardless of what the shot needs. And after a few minutes of continuous use, many models overheat and need time to recover before firing again.

The result is that most photographers either bring a fog machine to studio shoots only, or skip it entirely on location. The Ulanzi FM01 is designed for exactly this gap: the photographer who wants the effect without the infrastructure.

Fog machines for entertainment use glycol or glycerin fluid vaporised by a heat exchanger to create atmospheric effects, per Fog Machine, Wikipedia.

Theatrical smoke and fog have been used in performance and photography to create atmosphere and visual depth, as documented by Theatrical Smoke and Fog, Wikipedia.

What the Ulanzi FM01 Actually Changes

The FM01 is battery-powered, which removes the mains dependency entirely. It runs on two swappable 18650 cells that deliver roughly 15 to 20 minutes of continuous output at full blast. At lower intensity settings, a set lasts significantly longer. When one pair runs down, you swap in a fresh set and keep shooting. No waiting for a wall socket, no extension cords across a dance floor.

The wireless remote uses a 2.4 GHz signal rather than infrared, which means it works at any angle up to 10 metres away. You do not need line of sight with the machine. The remote has a colour screen that shows your current mode, intensity, and speed at a glance, so you can make adjustments without walking back to the unit. Thirty-six effect combinations cover everything from a faint background haze to a full dense burst, and you can switch between them mid-shoot.

The fog juice is vegetable glycerin-based, which makes it odour-free and free of fine particulates. That matters when you are working indoors around clients or near camera equipment. The 60ml bottle in the kit is enough for a full shoot, and additional fog juice is available at CameraStuff when you need a top-up.

Glycerin-based fog fluids produce a water vapour fog with no toxic by-products, widely regarded as safe for use around people and animals, per Fog Machine, Wikipedia.

Glycerol (vegetable glycerin) is a non-toxic, water-soluble compound commonly used in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications, as documented by Glycerol, Wikipedia.

Conrad's Advice

Running out of fog juice mid-shoot is the kind of thing that kills a setup. The FM01's replacement fog juice is available at CameraStuff, so grab an extra bottle before the job. A 60ml bottle goes further than you think, but having a spare in your bag means you are never rationing effects on the day.

What We Found: Testing the FM01 on Location

We ran the FM01 through portrait sessions, product photography setups, and a wedding reception. Here is what stood out in real conditions.

Mounting and Positioning

The universal 1/4" mount is more useful than it sounds. You can attach the FM01 directly to a light stand, a tripod leg, a gobo arm, or any standard mounting point. That means you can position the fog output at floor level, above head height, or at any angle to the subject, independently of where your camera and lights are. On location, the ability to place the fogger precisely without a separate stand is a genuine convenience.

Controlling Fog Density and Speed

The 36 effect combinations cover more ground than the number suggests. Adjusting intensity controls how much fog the machine outputs per second. Adjusting speed controls how fast that fog disperses after leaving the nozzle. A low intensity, low speed setting produces a slow, thin mist that stays close to the ground. A high intensity, high speed setting produces a rapid dense burst that fills a frame fast. For portrait work, the 1/4 to 1/2 intensity range with moderate speed gives you consistent background haze without overwhelming the subject.

The Nozzle Attachments

The FM01 comes with six attachments: a straight tube, a curved tube, a sponge filter, a flex hose, and additional fittings. Each one changes the direction and spread of the fog. The flex hose is the most useful on location; it lets you aim the output precisely without repositioning the whole machine. The sponge filter diffuses the output for a softer, more ambient haze rather than a directional stream. Most photographers will find two or three attachments that suit their style and stick with those.

Battery Life in Practice

At full intensity, a set of 18650 batteries lasts around 15 minutes. For most portrait or product sessions where you are triggering short bursts rather than running continuous output, a single set comfortably covers an hour of shooting. Two sets of batteries cover a full wedding reception. Charging is via USB-C, so you can top up from a power bank between locations if needed.

Is the FM01 Worth It?

If you have been skipping fog effects on location because the options were too bulky, too dependent on mains power, or too unreliable to trigger from camera position, the FM01 addresses every one of those objections. The wireless remote is the standout feature: being able to trigger and adjust from 10 metres away at any angle changes how you work with fog entirely. You can set up the machine, step back to your camera, and adjust the output in real time without breaking the setup.

The swappable batteries, the glycerin-based juice, and the range of nozzle attachments round out a kit that is genuinely thought through. It is not a cheap accessory that does one thing adequately. It is a tool that was clearly designed by someone who has tried to use a fog machine on location and ran into the same frustrations everyone else does.

Conrad's Advice

Look, we have all been on a shoot where someone suggests asking your tannie to blow her vape across the scene for that soft misty effect. Fair enough, it sort of works. Once. Then she wanders off, the timing is wrong every single take, and your subject starts coughing. The FM01 gives you the same dreamy atmosphere with 36 intensity settings, on demand, from 10 metres away. No aunties required.

FM01 vs a Typical Smoke Machine

Specifications

Key Features

• 40W fog output with 36 variations in intensity and speed
• Wireless remote with colour screen, 2.4 GHz signal, 10-metre control range
• Swappable 18650 batteries with USB-C charging port
• Universal 1/4-inch screw mount for tripods and light stands
• Vegetable glycerin fog liquid: odour-free, no fine dust, safe for indoor use
• Six nozzle attachments for shaping and directing fog output
  
  
  

In the Box

• Ulanzi FM01 FILMOG Ace Portable Fog Machine
• 60ml fog juice
• Wireless remote control
• Carrying bag
• Straight tube, curved tube, sponge filter, flex hose
• USB-C charging cable
• 2 x 18650 batteries

As specified by the manufacturer.

About Ulanzi

Ulanzi designs practical, well-engineered camera accessories for videographers and content creators. Their range covers fog machines, cooling solutions, cages, mounting systems, and lighting accessories for mirrorless and action cameras. For full specs and product details, visit Ulanzi's official website. CameraStuff is an authorised Ulanzi reseller in South Africa. Every Ulanzi product we stock is genuine, covered by a warranty, and supported by our in-house technical team.

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About the Author: Conrad Knuist

Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist

Conrad Knuist is Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist at CameraStuff, South Africa's specialist camera and lighting retailer. With over 18 years of hands-on experience testing gear across portrait, event, and commercial photography, Conrad has personally handled hundreds of products, from entry-level speedlights to professional studio systems. He is an authorised Godox specialist and works directly with South African photographers and videographers to match the right tools to their work. Every review and recommendation he publishes is based on real-world use, not spec sheets.

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