# Camera / Film Stock

> Pick one of 31 cameras and film stocks, from 35mm film and Arri Alexa to VHS, Polaroid and daguerreotype, and Nodaro adds that medium's look to your prompt.

Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/camera-format

The **Camera / Film Stock** picker sets the camera or film that an image or a video is shot on. You choose one medium from its catalog, such as 35mm film, IMAX 70mm, an Arri Alexa, a Polaroid or a VHS tape. Nodaro adds the look of that medium — its grain, color and texture — to the prompt of every node you connect it to. The picker never calls a model, so it costs no credits.

- Found in: Creative Controls › Camera
- Output: text
- API type: `camera-format`

## When to use it
- Emulate a film stock, such as 35mm or 16mm film.
- Place an image in a time: Super 8 for home movies, VHS or Camcorder for the 1990s.
- A documentary or point-of-view look with a GoPro, a drone or a security camera.
- The signature of a cinema camera, such as an Arri Alexa or a RED Komodo.

## How to use it
### Add the picker

Open the node picker and choose **Creative Controls › Camera › Camera / Film Stock**.

### Choose a camera or film

Select the node and choose a medium under **Camera / Film** in the settings panel. On Nodaro Cloud, each tile shows the same base frame shot on that medium.

### Connect it

Drag from the picker's output to the **Look** input of a [Generate Image](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/generate-image) or [Generate Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/generate-video) node. You can also connect it to a [Text](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/automate/text) or [Prompt](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/automate/prompt) node to include the wording in a longer text.

### Run the image or video node

The medium's wording is added to the end of the prompt when the connected node runs.

Workflow: Camera / Film Stock and Era / Period pickers feed the Look input of Generate Video for a 1970s home-movie look.

- Text → Generate Video (prompt)
- Camera / Film Stock → Generate Video (look)
- Era / Period → Generate Video (look)

## Settings
| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Camera / Film** | The camera or film to add. The default is **35mm Film**. |
| **Custom text (before)** | Your own words, added before the medium's wording. |
| **Custom text (after)** | Your own words, added after the medium's wording. |
| **Prompt hint** | **Full** adds a description of the medium's look. **Compact** adds only its short term. See [Creative Controls](https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/creative-controls). |

To see the exact words the picker will add, switch the node to the **Prompt** or **Both** display mode. The settings panel shows the same text under **Will inject into prompt**.

For example, **35mm Film** adds `shot on 35mm film, classic cinematic grain texture and color science` in **Full** mode, and `35mm film` in **Compact** mode.

## Which medium to choose

| Kind | Options |
| --- | --- |
| **Cinema film** | 35mm Film, 16mm Film, Super 8, IMAX 70mm, Anamorphic Scope, B&W Film |
| **Digital cinema cameras** | Arri Alexa, ARRI Alexa 65, Sony Venice, Blackmagic Pocket 6K, RED Komodo |
| **Photo cameras** | DSLR, Sony A7III, Canon EOS R5, Hasselblad Medium Format, Leica M Rangefinder, Voigtlander, Fujifilm X-T4 |
| **Everyday and surveillance video** | iPhone, Webcam / FaceTime, Camcorder, VHS, GoPro Action Cam, Drone (Aerial), Security Cam (CCTV) |
| **Instant and toy cameras** | Polaroid, Fujifilm Instax, Disposable Camera, Toy Camera (Holga) |
| **Early photography** | Tintype / Wet Plate, Daguerreotype |

## Every camera and film stock

Search the catalog. The words under each name are the term the picker adds in **Compact** mode.

- 35mm Film
- 16mm Film
- Super 8: `super 8mm film`
- IMAX 70mm
- Anamorphic Scope
- Arri Alexa
- ARRI Alexa 65
- Sony Venice
- Blackmagic Pocket 6K
- RED Komodo: `red komodo cinema camera`
- DSLR
- Sony A7III
- Canon EOS R5
- Hasselblad Medium Format
- Leica M Rangefinder
- Voigtlander: `voigtlander rangefinder`
- Fujifilm X-T4
- Drone (Aerial): `aerial drone footage`
- GoPro Action Cam
- Webcam / FaceTime: `webcam video call footage`
- VHS
- Camcorder: `90s consumer camcorder`
- Polaroid
- Fujifilm Instax
- Disposable Camera
- Toy Camera (Holga): `holga toy camera`
- Tintype / Wet Plate: `tintype wet-plate collodion`
- Daguerreotype
- Security Cam (CCTV): `cctv security camera footage`
- B&W Film: `black and white film`
- iPhone: `iphone camera footage`

## Real renders or illustrations

On Nodaro Cloud, each option is pictured with a real render: the same base frame shot on that medium. Each option also has a drawn illustration. A two-icon switch chooses which one the node shows: a film icon for the render, a pen icon for the illustration. The switch sits next to the **Camera / Film** heading in the settings panel, and next to the selected option on the node card.

The pictures never change the prompt. Your last choice is remembered in this browser for the next picker of this kind you add. On a self-hosted install, every option shows its illustration and there is no switch.

## Fill it from a photo

The Camera / Film Stock picker has a **Picker JSON** input. Connect a [Describe to Picker](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/describe-to-picker) node to it and run that node on a reference photo. Describe to Picker costs 10 credits per analysis. The picker itself stays free.

When a new value arrives, the node shows an **Update from injected** button. Click it to apply the detected medium. The button reads **Up to date** when nothing new is waiting.

## Tips
- **Grade the color too.** Pair the picker with [Color / Look](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/color-look) for a full film emulation.
- **Date the scene.** Pair it with [Era / Period](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/era), for example **Polaroid** with **1970s Disco**, or **Daguerreotype** with **Victorian**.
- **Choose the lens as well.** A [Lens](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/lens) picker, such as **Anamorphic**, completes the camera.
- **Push the medium.** Use **Custom text (before)**, for example `push-processed`, or **Custom text (after)**, for example `with grain bloom`.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does the Camera / Film Stock picker do?

It names the camera or film that an image or a video is shot on, such as 35mm film or an Arri Alexa. The picker adds that medium's grain, color and texture to the prompt. It never runs a model.

### Does the Camera / Film Stock picker cost credits?

No. Pickers only change the prompt. You pay only for the generation node that uses it.

### How do I give an image a 1990s home-video look?

Choose VHS or Camcorder in the Camera / Film Stock picker. Pair it with the Era / Period picker, for example 1990s Mall, to date the people and places as well.

### Why do the tiles show drawings on my self-hosted install?

The real renders of each camera and film are available on Nodaro Cloud only. A self-hosted install shows the drawn illustration of each option, which has no effect on the prompt.