of course cylinders don't make reflections like flat surfaces do. Convex surfaces like with the plane pictured would actually make them appear bigger (taller, in this case) while a concave one would make them seem smaller.. And when a camera zooms in, it zooms right in on that bigger image, details and all.
Any distortion with a zoom lens is in the distant image appearing larger out of proportion to the nearer subject than you would see with the naked eye. Distance is compressed. That's why you see those cool pics of someone silhouetted against a gigantic moon. Detail of the distant subject is made more prominent...if any detail is there, of course..