The camera system in MSFS is terribly implemented. You can zoom out in Showcase but I can’t stand using it as you then can’t control the plane.
This topic unfortunately does not have enough votes to get into their top wishlist category, we need more people to upvote this! 
I’m coming from FSX / P3D then XP11…for me this is a must have function for the camera system.
That effect is achieved by pressing Ctrl and + or - and moves the eyepoint away from or towards the aircraft without zooming .
WHY I can’t chose view distance ( NOT Zoom ) in externale mode, but I can move view point in cockpit??
Hoping someone give me a solution, I can’t use this Sim for this. I prefer playing XP12 or P3D where I have all the freedom.
it’s been a missing basic feature since Day 1 unfortunately. i dont think they have any plans to fix it. i’ve just gotten used to the limitations.
You can make small changes at the:
wing area:
&
span area:
… in the flight_model.cfg file, but it you are not careful you might screw the aerodynamics, so ALWAYS backup (copy/paste) your flight_model.cfg before you make any changes.
I have made some successful experiments but I do agree this is another strange thing that Asobo decided to do, link the distance to the aerodynamic geometry aspect of the aircraft ???
This is a way to fix while I hope Asobo can add an independent parameter at the cameras.cfg at MSFS2024 or even better, allow us to manage the distance without distortions straight from the cameras interphase inside the sim.
Have now been flying FS24 for almost a week, and can’t believe that we still don’t have a way to move the camera in the external view! Please. PLEASE, Asobo, give us a tool to move the External View camera!
yeah that was one of the very first things I checked in MSFS2024…if there was a way to simply move the external camera closer to or further away from the plane.
Unfortunately the answer to this basic request is a resounding NOPE.
I found a way to configure the camera distance by adding two lines of script in the cameras.cfg file of the device concerned. This is the only way I found. The disadvantage is that the value will be fixed and cannot be modified in flight, but only before starting the game.
You can refer to the official documentation :
https://docs.flightsimulator.com/html/Content_Configuration/Cameras/Cameras_CFG/cameras_cfg.htm
My exemple :
[VERSION]
major = 1
minor = 1
[VIEWS]
;eyepoint=17.30, -0.2, 2.65
eyepoint=12.90, -0.2, 2.15
external_camera_distance=38.0
Camera_distance_coefficient=50.0
;===================== CAMERADEFINITION====================
…
I specify that this technique works for msfs2020 but I have not yet exported this functionality to 2024
This isn’t a feature in the new 2024 version just released?
Kind of funny how bad this is. The most basic function and yet we still don’t have it…this thread even goes back years.
Wtf?
I didn’t realize this thread existed before I made my own thread on the topic. Yeah I guess the ability to ‘translate’ the external camera, similar to the internal camera, isn’t implemented after all these years.
yep, pretty insane how the devs still haven’t learned we want the most basic controls. in XPlane it’s so simple you just push the up or down arrow keys and the external cam will move further or closer to the plane. no weird fish lens warped zoomy type thing. no one wants that
Isn’t this what the drone camera is for?
the drone camera is it’s own thing. it’s not the main external camera
THIS, such a basic feature, also missing in MSFS2024
Dear devs, please, add this ability! Add the function to move the external cam forward and backward just as the drone cam has these keys in the control settings!!!
Thank you. It works. But the line - camera_distance_coefficient - I do not see any difference with or without this string.