Which term describes increasing the focal length?

• A. Focusing
• B. Panning
• C. Tilting
• D. Zooming

Answer: (D)

Zooming is the term for increasing the focal length of a camera lens. When you zoom, the lens elements extend or adjust to longer focal lengths, making distant subjects appear larger in the frame and narrowing the field of view. This is different from focusing, which is about adjusting the lens so the image is sharp, and from panning or tilting, which refer to rotating the camera to follow movement or change the angle. For example, if a distant subject looks small, you zoom in to bring it closer in the frame; this change is accomplished by changing the focal length, not by moving the camera or altering focus. (Digital zoom crops the image and doesn’t change focal length, so it isn’t true zoom.)