zoom lens

noun

1. (in a camera or motion-picture projector) a lens assembly whose focal length can be continuously adjusted to provide various degrees of magnification without any loss of focus, thus combining the features of wide-angle, normal, and telephoto lenses.

zoom lens

noun

1. a lens system that allows the focal length of a camera lens to be varied continuously without altering the sharpness of the image See also telephoto lens

Word History and Origins

Origin of zoom lens¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Conventional cameras that use a zoom lens to magnify objects have the disadvantage of focusing only on the target object and not its surroundings.

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Dozens of zoom lens are trained on athletes as they do something as exciting as eat a banana or change a T-shirt.

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I then noticed some of his team-mates approaching him to celebrate the goal, so I switched back to a shorter zoom lens to make sure I captured all four players dancing.

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I was the one who suggested the Alhambra, so it comes down to whether we want a zoom lens or a wide angle.

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It's a gravitational effect; the astronomical equivalent of a zoom lens for a telescope.

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