The PMI Smoke Vest is a photography accessory you don’t see every day, that’s for sure. PMI is calling it the “world’s first professional-grade, plug-and-play smoke harness”, which is designed to work in conjunction with the PMI Smoke Ninja, Smoke Ninja Pro or Smoke Genie for on-body smoke effects. I can see it appealing to photographers who shoot alternative fashion, music portraits, cosplay, and sports portraits, videographers who shoot music videos and studio-based commercial content, as well as live performers and productions, costume designers and SFX artists.
I had great fun reviewing the PMI Smoke Ninja, but my initial reaction to the Smoke Vest was that I could easily DIY a simple harness myself – I soon realized that there’s more to this accessory than meets the eye. It’s not designed to merely mount the Ninja or Genie, but evenly distribute the smoke around the body. It does this via a tube system with outlets positioned around the harness that can be blocked via silicon plugs so you can channel the smoke to the desired outlets.
As you’d expect, the harness has adjustable shoulder straps to fit different body types, but you can also adjust the way the smoke-machine pouch is mounted so it sits on the wearer’s back or waist. The promotional video (above) mentions “instant tube diversion”; this appears to be an additional tube that can be used to channel smoke beyond the harness and along the arm, for example, to simulate a smoking hand or prop. The PMI Smoke Vest also comes with a head loop, so you can create smoke-on-hair effects.
The PMI Smoke Vest is splash-proof and heat-resistant, and so long as you use it with PMI’s own smoke machines, the company touts a safe experience. PMI states: “Our upgraded Overheat Protection System ensures 100% safe and odourless, as tested and approved by industry-standard testing facilities.” And by PMI’s own admission, that means “no eye irritation”, “no smell irritation”, “no carcinogens”, and “no fabric damage”.
The PMI Smoke Vest retails for $85 / £59.99 / AU$85 and is available to pre-order right now.
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