Zoom is intended to help compensate for the limitations of a PC monitor. Due to pixel-count and cramming a 90 degree FOV into each "view", objects <planes, particularlly> appear far smaller and much, much less detailed than they would at the same ranges in RL.
The Zoom feature simply narrows the FOV, allowing more detail within the limitations of the program and the monitor. It's not "binoculars". You trade wide-angle Situational Awareness for this detail.
It can be overdone, however. Perhaps there can or should be a limit on how far in you can zoom as a factor of the original size of the object when viewed in the "no zoom" mode.
Overall, it's a valid feature.