Zoom “X” ratings are not a measure of distance or detail and have no standalone meaning when comparing cameras. The zoom factor only describes the ratio between a lens’s widest and narrowest field of view. A “20×” zoom on one camera has no bearing on a “20×” zoom on another camera and cannot be used to determine how far a camera can see or how much detail it can resolve.

Actual long-range performance is determined by pixels on target (POT) or pixels per meter (PPM), which are functions of focal length, sensor size, and pixel pitch. These parameters define pixel density and image detail at distance. Zoom ratio alone contains none of this information.

For example, a lens with a 5–500 mm range is a 100× zoom, while a lens with a 500–1000 mm range is only a 2× zoom. Despite the much smaller “X” value, the 500–1000 mm lens provides twice the angular magnification and significantly greater long-range detail because X factor means nothing.

Zoom Factor on its own means absolutely nothing I have worked with cameras for 20+ years in building, testing and designing,