Can the camera body of a DSLR camera have optical zoom?

Sheron Perrez: nope think optical, optical means relating to the eye or lenses, so optical zoom is the zooming of the lens,

Maurice Breuning: No, the body does not have optical zoom. Zoom is controlled by the lens. If you want a "super zoom" offering 10x or more zoom, you might be better served with $400-$600, super zoom point-n-shoot or bridge camera rather than going through the expense of a $450 DSLR and an $500-$800, 18-200mm or 18-250mm lens. Examples would include Canon's Powershot SX1, SX10 or Nikon's Coolpix L100 and P90.Very few of the better DSLR lenses offer much more than 3x zoom. There are however 10x or better lenses like Nikon's 18-200mm VR lens that are very useful for general photography. Still, the whole point of a DSLR is the ability to use the right lens for the shot rather than being stuck with a lens that attempts to be a jack of all trades....Show more

Benita Nancy: In short, yes, the lens is the only thing that determines the optic! al zoom.There is something somewhat related, though- most consumer DSLRs have a ASP-C sized sensor, and because of that, it chances the focal length from what it would be on a 35-mm camera. Generally that's about 1.5x, so a 50mm lens on a DSLR will have the same focal length as a 75mm lens on a 35mm SLR. In fact, there are many SLR lenses that don't zoom at all, they're called "prime lenses", and they're nice because they tend to be smaller, lighter, and "faster" (they let more light in), and less expensive....Show more