A dolly zoom moves the camera, that’s the entire point of a dolly zoom. The zoom while moving the camera is only there to keep the framing the same, the actual visual change is caused by the movement of the camera, not by the changing of the focal length. You’d get the exact same effect if you used a fixed-focus lens and just cropped the resulting video to keep the framing constant.
Okay, now I get what you’re saying and you’re absolutely correct. But from the perspective of the photographer, it doesn’t really matter. The motif you’re aiming for is fixed. What you then influence is distance and lens and lens I can directly read from my camera. If I shoot with a wide angle, I have to get closer to get the motif that I want, if I zoom in, I need to step back. So, yes, technically distance is what matters but the distance correlates with the lens I’m using. That’s why tips like “shoot portraits with 85 mm to get the most natural look” still make sense although you’re right
A dolly zoom moves the camera, that’s the entire point of a dolly zoom. The zoom while moving the camera is only there to keep the framing the same, the actual visual change is caused by the movement of the camera, not by the changing of the focal length. You’d get the exact same effect if you used a fixed-focus lens and just cropped the resulting video to keep the framing constant.
Okay, now I get what you’re saying and you’re absolutely correct. But from the perspective of the photographer, it doesn’t really matter. The motif you’re aiming for is fixed. What you then influence is distance and lens and lens I can directly read from my camera. If I shoot with a wide angle, I have to get closer to get the motif that I want, if I zoom in, I need to step back. So, yes, technically distance is what matters but the distance correlates with the lens I’m using. That’s why tips like “shoot portraits with 85 mm to get the most natural look” still make sense although you’re right
You can also just crop the picture instead of getting closer. Especially with modern cameras with a zillion megapixels this is a viable option.