1) we used a canon 400mm f/2.8 L ii lens with a canon 2x teleconverter (mark 3)
2) the images get more "foggy" at the max zoom level because at the smaller magnification, I was able to apply some filters to the image (unsharp mask, mostly) to improve the local contrast. At the deepest zoom level, this is not possible, because the source files at this level were too large to open in Photoshop. I have applied some color corrections to the source images, and I am re-rendering these files, but I didn't make the deadline to put this live. It will go live in a few weeks probably.
I noticed the same thing. I think the max zoom level are the images have original color settings and mostly untouched while the non-max zoom pictures have been color calibrated (more contrast and such).
Why do the images get more "foggy" at the max zoom level?
Do you have any photos of the robots operating the cameras?