Is it better to buy a camera with optical lens that zoom out or build in?
There are some that actually use mirrors and the zoom lens is actually inside the body of the camera. What I would recommend is you avoid cameras that have a digital zoom only. The reason for this is because the digital zoom ends up sacrificing resolution to take a picture. Another thing to consider is the “zoom out camera” could be a problem depending on how you use it. For instance, if you accidentally turned it on in your purse you could break the gears that work the lens. I personally like the zoom out and have a Casio Exilim. Small, light, and takes good pictures. There are better cameras out there but I needed small size and mine was the smallest with an optical zoom I could find at the time. It’s worked great.
