Screen and photos turn dark when zoom is used

sounds like an iso issue. its a pain but try to write down all your current settings then try resetting in the menu. and try applying all your previous recent settings one by one in shutter priority mode and take a pic before applying each one to see what tips the camera to react the way it has, long process but not sure its a camera issue more just a setting

I have exactly the same problem. I am writing an email to Olympus for further advice. I beleive there is some replacement policy as this seems to be a manufacturer problem.

Hello
When you look at your pictures are they dark, murky and hard to see? If you took pictures at a wedding, dance recital, theater performance or any indoor event and they came out dark, read on to learn why your pictures are dark, and how to fix this common camera problem.

Many people take pictures of indoor events, only to be unsatisfied with the final outcome of their photos. Although you may have bought the top of the line film or digital camera, there are a few limitations that you need to know about.
To correctly expose your pictures, you camera needs a lot of light. The compact point and shoot varieties adjust for this when you're outside during the daytime, and usually your pictures turn out fine, right? Well, then how come when you take indoor pictures, they sometimes come out too dark? There are two culprits; your zoom function and your flash.
Most compact cameras today offer a zoom function. When I used to work in retail photography sales, the first feature that consumers would ask for is zoom. People love to get close-up pictures without using their feet. Although zoom does bring your subject matter in closer, it also decreases the amount of light that can get into your camera. Essentially, the more you zoom, the less light your camera can receive, and your pictures will be darker.
So, if your taking pictures indoors, in a dark church, gym or other window-less room it is very difficult for your camera to get enough light to properly expose your pictures.
This is when most photographers decide to turn on their flash. The flash on your camera is a great tool to illuminate dark situations that are in close proximity to the camera. Most built-in flash units are designed to allow the light to travel 8-10 feet away in poor quality light and up to 15-20 feet in brighter situations.
What most camera users fail to realize is that although your zoom function is visually bringing you closer to the action, you flash cannot reach that far to illuminate the subject, and your pictures will be dark.
Hope it helps, if so do rate the solution

You have to know the MODE your camera is in. If you have it in the wrong mode you may not be able to take a photo in some conditions. You typically cannot take a photo of the moon on any auto setting the moon will be a white blob. The moon almost has to be taken manually.

Search for Lens Error. There are many was to fix Lens Errors

That's quite a spot! Yes, I believe it is on your sensor. It could be one of the following: dirt, a spot from moisture condensing on the sensor after bringing a cold camera into a warm house, or mold. It can be cleaned but I imagine it will be expensive since the camera will have to be disassembled. I don't know how much you paid for it or how long you've owned it, but if the cost will be too high, it might be time to think about a new camera. Or, you could live with it and use Photoshop Elements to remove the spot on photos you want to show off to friends.

just change the setting to outdoor. if you read your manual it will explain how. pg 27

Make sure the contacts on the card are clean as well as making sure you don' have dirt and grime inside the reader.

Try playing with the background or lighting - ex: take pics during the day versus nite... use a white/light colored background versus something dark.

Make sure you have the flash set to "auto" or try the "red eye" setting.. I've had good luck with both of those.

Also make use of the zoom. Stand farther back and zoom in - versus being close up and NOT using the zoom.

Hope this helps :)

Um... there really wasn't much in the way of software that came with the camera, actually I don't know if I ever installed any of it. I remember installing a driver on my old windows 98 computer, but XP and Vista detect it automatically and automatically open the standard windows application. You need to describe what the icon under the battery looks like as I know of a few that appear there. Whenever you adjust the zoom it automatically brings up a zoom bar under the battery.

This sounds like there is debris lodged in the zoom gears. Been to the beach lately? The gears in the zoom mechanism are very small, and even a tiny spec of sand or other debris can jam them up. Alternatively the sensor inside the lens that feeds back the position of the lens to the control circuit may be failing - so the camera thinks the lens has retracted all the way and stops. If the stoppage of the zoom action is abrupt then it is probably debris, if it is a smooth stoppage like the camera is stopping on purpose it is probably a position sensor. Either way the camera will require repair. David Millier Advance Camera Repair