The Canon S-series have great zoom and can even do digital zoom for distant objects.
i suggest canon sx100 which has 8mp and 10x optical zoom
The Canon PowerShot is the best camera under $200. It has 12.1 megapixels, 4 x optical zoom, and optical image stabilization.
Optical and digital. With optical zoom, the camera uses lenses to magnify objects. In digital zoom, the camera's built-in software creates a magnified image.
Optical zoom is way better than digital zoom as digital only expands the picture. Optical zoom actually zooms in.
Depends what your using it for
I usually see anywhere from 6x to 12x optical zoom, then most digital cameras also have digital zoom, up to about 20x
The Olympus Stylus has a 3x optical zoom feature.
canon a560, canon a720, they have 4 x optcial zoom
The reason an optical zoom is better to have than a digital zoom boils down to quality. When one uses an optical zoom the subject is brought in closer without losing quality. When a digital zoom is used, the camera crops and digitally enlarges the picture, sacrificing quality.
A : Entry Level
That depends on the lens you put on the camera.
About 9 miles at sea level. ;)