Kopit, you don't even need that. My old video camera had a x700 zoom and a cheap Kodak has x16 optical and I know not what digital.
A key element in long distance photography is ambient light and visibility. If there is no atmospheric dust then light conditions would be excellent. I don't know what conditions are like there. I know it can vary from heavy dust to Crystal clear. Looking at the photos it looks more likely the latter.