The zoom is one of the oldest image-affecting filmmaking practices, pioneered in the late 19th century and first used commercially in 1927.
The zoom is an optical change of focal length, which moves the point of view in or out of the image without changing the physical position of the camera. While zooming in or out might have been one of the first functions you used on a home video camera, it’s likely one of the last procedures you will see on a feature film set.
Since the 1970s, zooming in or out has become very rare in dramatic movies. The zoom featured more prominently in early cinematic history, such as 1927’s Wings, which was the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.