Lester E. Spray, American Republican politician, Candidate for Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Allegheny County 16th District, 1960; Judd Spray, American Democrat politician, Member of Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 1969
Zoom Shot. A zoom is technically not a camera move as it does not require the camera itself to move at all. Zooming means altering the focal length of the lens to give the illusion of moving closer to or further away from the action. The effect is not quite the same though.
To zoom, you either twist the lens or press some buttons on the back panel of the camera. The camera then adjusts the focal length of its lens, allowing you to see things that are further away with better clarity. Prime lenses are different. They only have one focal length. You canât zoom in or out. You get one viewing distance, and thatâs it. The most standard prime lens is the 50mm ânormal lens.â Its focal length roughly matches where your eye focuses, giving you an image thatâs fairly close to whatâs in front of you. There are other prime lenses too that come in all sorts of different focal lengths.