Spy gear can be a misleading term;

While spy gear is a term often used with common reference to the covert nature of spying it can also refer to equipment for looking closely or researching, I would say that the zoom lens on your camera is spy gear because it is capable of spying from a distance, taking a closer look. My eyes are not good and the zoom lens on my camera is very useful, listening devices besides listening to conversations from a distance can actually be used to amplify other sounds that would be difficult to capture any other way.  One example of this would be sounds for video footage I filmed a squirrel playing in the park it would be so much better if I could have recorded the sound of it rustling around.

Although covert not all spy gear is used as means of spying.

Below is a splendid photograph of the main entrance to Birkenhead Park you will notice in the picture below this another picture depicting the date, without the zoom lens on my camera I would not have been able to see this date as it was too far away.

I Spy Gear