What advantage does a zoom lens offer to photographers?

A zoom lens provides the advantage of versatility, allowing photographers to adjust the focal length to frame their subject appropriately at varying distances without needing to switch lenses. This flexibility is especially beneficial when working in dynamic environments where subjects might be farther away or closer than initially anticipated.

Using a zoom lens means that a photographer can easily zoom in for detail or wide out for context, adapting quickly to the scene as it unfolds. This is a significant advantage over fixed focal length or prime lenses, which require the photographer to physically move closer to or further from the subject, potentially missing key moments or details.

Other listed options highlight different aspects of lenses but do not capture the essential benefit of a zoom lens’s adaptability in framing a wide range of subjects. Fixed focal length lends itself to image quality under specific conditions, while wider field of view may refer more to particular prime lenses or settings rather than the capability of zoom lenses specifically. Built-in stabilization is an added feature found in some lenses but is not a defining advantage of zoom lenses in general.