Optical Zoom UW

I understand that having optical zoom on land is great for taking photos on land, especially if subject is far away.

Underwater, does it work well and should it be a required feature? Any info appreciated.

Thank you.

Most of the time, you will want to use your camera at the WIDEST zoom setting so that you can get in close and "paint" your subject with your strobe. Remember, underwater the closer the better - and a zoom won't help much here.

The flip-side is Macro - sometimes you will want to use zoom here. Most consumer digicams have a "sweet spot" in the zoom range that will yield the highest magnification and the best focus.

HTH

James

Most likely you need the zoom for macro, but how much you will need it depends more on the camera model.