The real or apparent effect of camera movement toward or away from a subject during a single continuous shot. In animation, the effect is achieved by moving the camera in relation to the animation stand. In live-action cinematography, however, it is usually achieved by means of the zoom lens, with the camera remaining stationary. The camera operator is said to be zooming in when he brings the subject closer to view and to be zooming out or zooming back when he withdraws farther from the image. In its broadest sense, the term "zoom shot" is used interchangeably with a tracking shot or dolly shot.
zoom lens
A variable-focus lens that is designed to provide various degrees of magnification during a continuous shot with no loss of focus. Using this type of lens, a cameraman can move rapidly from a long shot to a close-up of the same subject without moving the camera and without having to adjust focus or aperture. Conversely, he may start with a close-up of the subject, then zoom out to reveal the background location for the action. Zoom lenses may be operated manually or by an electric motor. The first method offers the operator greater control over the duration of the zoom shot; the latter ensures him a smoother movement at a constant rate of speed. The zoom lens can, of course, be used as a normal lens for nonzoom shots when it is set at any focal length along its range of magnification and not pulled back and forth.
