Olympus SP500UZ and Priority Settings

I have just begun playing around with Shutter and Aperture Priority Setting on my camera. It appears that the zoom feature does not operate on anything other than the Auto (Creative ) Setting of the camera. Is this a limitation of the camera or am I missing something? I'd appreciate any help on this. I am fairly new to the digital vs. film world.

When you say zoom feature are you refering to the zoom on the shutter button or the digital zoom feature? I have never used the camera but would the the zoom on the shutter would work all of the time. The digital zoom has to be turned on and off.

The zoom feature is a lever type control on the shutter.

I have tried a google search and can't find any info on the problem. I have not used this camera. It could be your shutter speeds are to slow. Try faster shutter speeds and see if that works. Maybe someone else with this model camera can offer more help?