# Lens

> Pick one of 18 lenses, from a 14mm ultra-wide and an 85mm portrait lens to fisheye, anamorphic and vintage primes, and Nodaro adds its look to your prompt.

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

The **Lens** picker sets the lens that an image or a video is shot with. You choose one lens from its catalog, such as an ultra-wide 14mm, a portrait 85mm, a fisheye or an anamorphic lens. Nodaro adds the look of that lens — its perspective, distortion and bokeh — 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: `lens`

## When to use it
- A wide-angle lens for establishing shots that show the whole environment.
- A telephoto lens for portraits that isolate the subject from the background.
- An anamorphic lens for a cinematic widescreen feel.
- A tilt-shift lens for a miniature, diorama look.

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

Open the node picker and choose **Creative Controls › Camera › Lens**.

### Choose a lens

Select the node and choose a lens in the settings panel. On Nodaro Cloud, each tile shows the same base frame rendered with that lens.

### 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 lens wording is added to the end of the prompt when the connected node runs.

Workflow: Framing, Lens and Camera / Film Stock pickers feed the Look input of Generate Image.

- Text → Generate Image (prompt)
- Framing → Generate Image (look)
- Lens → Generate Image (look)
- Camera / Film Stock → Generate Image (look)

## Settings
| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Lens** | The lens to add. The default is **Normal (50mm)**. |
| **Custom text (before)** | Your own words, added before the lens wording. |
| **Custom text (after)** | Your own words, added after the lens wording. |
| **Prompt hint** | **Full** adds a description of the lens and its look. **Compact** adds only the 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, **Normal (50mm)** adds `shot on normal 50mm lens, perspective closest to natural human vision` in **Full** mode, and `50mm normal lens` in **Compact** mode.

## Which lens to choose

| Lens | Look |
| --- | --- |
| **Ultra-wide (14mm)** | Extreme wide angle, exaggerated perspective |
| **Wide (24mm)** | Wide field of view that shows the environment |
| **Standard (35mm)** | Natural perspective with a documentary feel |
| **Normal (50mm)** | Closest to what the human eye sees |
| **Portrait (85mm)** | Flattering compression and creamy bokeh |
| **Telephoto (135mm)** | Compressed depth and an isolated subject |
| **Super Telephoto (400mm)** | Extreme compression and a distant subject |
| **Fisheye** | Hemispherical 180° distortion |
| **Anamorphic** | Cinematic widescreen with oval bokeh |
| **Macro** | Extreme close-up of small details |
| **Probe Lens** | A tube macro lens that looks through holes and tight spaces |
| **CCTV** | The look of a security camera |
| **Tilt-shift** | Selective focus and a miniature effect |
| **Shallow DOF** | Razor-thin focus and dreamy bokeh |
| **Canon K35 Prime** | Vintage cinema lens with warm, gentle skin |
| **Cooke S4 Prime** | Creamy, painterly skin |
| **Helios 44** | Vintage Soviet lens with swirly bokeh |
| **Petzval Portrait** | Very old portrait lens with a swirl and dramatic falloff |

## Every lens

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

- Ultra-wide (14mm): `14mm ultra-wide lens`
- Wide (24mm): `24mm wide-angle lens`
- Standard (35mm): `35mm standard lens`
- Normal (50mm): `50mm normal lens`
- Portrait (85mm): `85mm portrait lens`
- Telephoto (135mm): `135mm telephoto lens`
- Super Telephoto (400mm): `400mm super-telephoto lens`
- Fisheye: `fisheye lens`
- Anamorphic: `anamorphic lens`
- Macro: `macro lens`
- Probe Lens
- CCTV: `cctv surveillance camera look`
- Tilt-shift: `tilt-shift lens`
- Shallow DOF: `shallow depth of field`
- Canon K35 Prime
- Cooke S4 Prime
- Helios 44: `vintage helios 44 lens, swirly bokeh`
- Petzval Portrait: `petzval portrait lens, swirling bokeh`

## Real renders or illustrations

On Nodaro Cloud, each lens is pictured with a real render: the same base frame shot through that lens. Each lens 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 **Lens** heading in the settings panel, and next to the selected lens on the node card.

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

## Fill it from a photo

The Lens 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 Lens picker stays free.

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

## Tips
- **Pair the lens with the shot size.** A [Framing](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/framing) close-up with **Portrait (85mm)** flatters a face. A wide shot with **Ultra-wide (14mm)** gives a dramatic perspective.
- **Control the depth of field.** Add an [Exposure Settings](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/exposure-settings) picker with a wide aperture, such as **f/1.4**, for a soft background.
- **Complete the camera.** Add a [Camera / Film Stock](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/camera-format) picker to set the medium, such as **35mm Film** or **Arri Alexa**.
- **Add lens flaws.** Use **Custom text (before)**, for example `vintage`, or **Custom text (after)**, for example `with chromatic aberration`.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does the Lens picker do?

It adds the look of a lens, such as its perspective, distortion and bokeh, to the prompt of every connected image or video node. It never runs a model and costs no credits.

### Does the Lens picker cost credits?

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

### Which lens is best for portraits?

Portrait (85mm) gives flattering compression and a soft background. For a vintage look, try Cooke S4 Prime or Petzval Portrait. For razor-thin focus, try Shallow DOF.

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

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