Olympus E-P3 screen turns black

Hi, I have a question that may be a silly one, but I have no clue about why it happens.

I am using Olympus E-P3 paired with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 mark two.

When I half-press the release button screen turns black for a second, it's before it confirms focus. I am wondering if it's related to a metering or focusing. If that's any kind of option to turn off or it's related to 20mm lens? Do you possibly know?

Oh, and I don't have it with a little newer E-PM2 and same lens.

marcin eden wrote:

Hi, I have a question that may be a silly one, but I have no clue about why it happens.

I am using Olympus E-P3 paired with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 mark two.

When I half-press the release button screen turns black for a second, it's before it confirms focus. I am wondering if it's related to a metering or focusing. If that's any kind of option to turn off or it's related to 20mm lens? Do you possibly know?

E-P3 had improved focus speed for that time with in preparation for the new Olympus lenses,  including the 17/1.8 that was released a year later. But the 20/1.7 has always been a clumsy slow-to-focus lens in my experience with it on the E-P1. Have you turned off lens reset? Have you set the camera to single AF and prioritised single point?

traveler_101 wrote:

marcin eden wrote:

Hi, I have a question that may be a silly one, but I have no clue about why it happens.

I am using Olympus E-P3 paired with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 mark two.

When I half-press the release button screen turns black for a second, it's before it confirms focus. I am wondering if it's related to a metering or focusing. If that's any kind of option to turn off or it's related to 20mm lens? Do you possibly know?

E-P3 had improved focus speed for that time with in preparation for the new Olympus lenses, including the 17/1.8 that was released a year later. But the 20/1.7 has always been a clumsy slow-to-focus lens in my experience with it on the E-P1. Have you turned off lens reset? Have you set the camera to single AF and prioritised single point?

Thank you for answer, yes on both E-P3 and E-PM2 I am using single point, center AF. Not sure about lens reset. The screen turns black every time I half-press release btn but only on E-P3.

I have no experience with that particular combination so this is just wild speculation, but the 20mm was infamous for having issues with banding at high ISOs in later Olympus bodies that used Sony sensors, and it is widely believed to be caused by interference due to the 20mm's different voltage regulator, or higher voltage requirements, possibly to draw more power to focus the heavier, older-style focusing mechanism. If true, perhaps it's drawing so much voltage during focusing that it's interfering with the E-P3 getting enough voltage to run the LCD screen.

Stephen Strangways wrote:

I have no experience with that particular combination so this is just wild speculation, but the 20mm was infamous for having issues with banding at high ISOs in later Olympus bodies that used Sony sensors, and it is widely believed to be caused by interference due to the 20mm's different voltage regulator, or higher voltage requirements, possibly to draw more power to focus the heavier, older-style focusing mechanism. If true, perhaps it's drawing so much voltage during focusing that it's interfering with the E-P3 getting enough voltage to run the LCD screen.

Wow, thank you, this may really be the case here. I just did a check of the E-P3 with Panasonic 42.5 and Olympus 14-42 II (not the pancake) and they both works better, no dim screen on release button.

I've got the 20mm since yesterday and I like its design and sharpness and even the AF speed is good enough for me, just this behavior on E-P3 looks weird.

Fortunately, on my trusty GF1 and E-PM2 works nice and on G5 even better

Happy shooting!

Just one more data point: I just checked the Pany 20/1.7 II on an E-PL2 (half a year older than the E-P3) for any behavior like you described, and ... nothing. Everything hunky-dory. Sorry!