Hank, in my opinion a decent zoom is essential! Just be careful you get the correct info on what the real zoom will be, in terms of optical/digital maybe John can clear that up. The camera I used was 3x optical, I think that would be about like a 38-115mm? (help) Anyway, it was decent for general shooting, but for lighthouse trips, I'd want more zoom. That's my take on it. Sorry if I've messed up real facts. Hope john can help me here.