Nikon 5100 How to Zoom?

We just bought a Nikon 5100 and can't figure out the zoom. We know how to manually turn the lens to zoom in, but it doesn't make the object close at all. My old camera zoomed in much closer. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for any help.

Added (1). Thankfully, it wasn't $800. We got it for our kids at sporting and school events. The salesman completely misrepresented it, I guess. I told him we needed something that would make the kids appear much closer to us than my old camera.

Okay there could be a number of possibilities.
So, since the camera is a DSLR the zoom is all manual obviously. Some lenses are different. When you turn the lens make sure you are not turning the focus ring. Most lenses have two rings. One for focusing manually and one for zooming in and out.

Another possibility is that you have a lens that is fixed at a certain focal range? Or, maybe you have a lens that doesn't have a wide range. If that's the case the best advice I can give is to go buy a new lens that covers a wide range. Most starter lenses are 18-55mm. A 24-70mm lens is a good choice if you shoot a variety of subjects. Hope this helps!

Happy Thanksgiving!

You bought an $800 camera but you're too stupid to be able to use it? Kill yourselves

Hold the lens barrel and turn it. There's no other way. If you thought that by getting a dSLR you would be able to make far objects seem much closer to you than what your old camera did then that's where you went wrong. The kit lens is only 3X zoom. If you want to make a far object close to you get a lens with the most mm you can afford.

In the dSLR world, zoom doesn't matter. Focal length does. If you want to make a distant object look large in the picture, go nearer. Walk!

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Salesmen like those should be burned at the stake! It's people like them that make people get things they don't need. Most unknowing newbies think that just because a camera is bigger, it can make far things closer. Notice how I don't use the word zoom. It's not what you think it is.

Anywho, you're stuck with a technically superior camera that does not fit your requirements (as far as you are concerned). If you only dare to use it, more than once in a while even in full auto everything mode, you will notice a fair improvement from your old camera. Getting close is not always needed and sometimes shooting far works. If you happen to enjoy using that new dSLR and bump into some problems, don't hesitate to ask here again.

For now, if far is what you want to solve then I regret to inform you that the only solution is to spend further on a longer lens, one with at least 300mm but I'm telling you now that may not be even half of what you have in your old camera. Picture quality-wise however, if you check in the computer, the dSLR will blow the other camera away to smithereens.