A controller for a surgical visualization system is disclosed. The controller is configured to enable a surgeon to control a six degrees of freedom (6DOF) pose of a microscope and a mechanical focus of the microscope. Additionally, the controller is configured to activate or deactivate a constrained mode. Activation of the constrained mode enables the surgeon to control a single parameter only while not affecting other parameters. The single parameter may include a focus of the microscope. The controller includes a mode switching feature to toggle between different modes to allow a plurality of controls. Each mode of the different modes comprises parameters that are controlled by physical inputs.