(xposted from general troubleshooting)
I can't seem to delete my message, so I'm marking it SOLVED. The istD has an additional cell to keep track of camera settings. The cell in my istD had died, so the camera was reset to factory default settings. This is why it didn't recognize my manual lenses without an A setting.
Hi - I've been shooting my old *istD with manual lenses for a few years. These days I use the camera almost exclusively with completely manual K, M, & 3rd party lenses, of course using M mode & green button metering. Today I took my Zenitar 16 out with my *istD, but I get a flashing Av on the top LCD in all shooting modes, including M. I can set iso, white balance, etc on the control wheel as usual. The camera behaves this way with any manual lens that lacks contacts, except for my Vivitar 135/2.8, which has a black anodized mount. That lens has always worked with the istD, except it lacks focus confirmation in the VF. I *can* use the Vivitar in the camera's present state, along with my A, and AF lenses, which have contacts.
Anyone know what's happening here? I cleaned off the camera's contacts with a bit of rubbing alcohol, but with the same results. Again, I get a flashing Av in the top LCD, using any shooting mode with any manual lens lacking contacts. The one exception is the Vivitar 135 with the anodized mount. Thanks!