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From the Ricohmatic 225 manual (thanks to Mark Walberg), "The Care of The Camera" section.

• Do not leave the camera with the shutter cocked over a long period because it may weaken the shutter spring.

• Do not change the shutter speed after you have already cocked the shutter.

• To preserve the life of the shutter, place the synchro setting at X.

• When you have not used your camera for a long period, it is good to take it out and release the shutter one or two times.

Elsewhere in the 225 manual it says:

• When winding the film, wind the film in one continuous movement until the crank stops. If wound a little at a time, the shutter sometimes may not cock itself.

And from my experience:

• The 225 shutter button is mechanically locked when the viewfinder is closed. Don't force the shutter button (even though there may be some play) or you may bend the linkage to the shutter.

The Diacord G manual (thanks to Jeff Rivera) has the following (not mentioned in the Diacord L manual, so it may not apply to it):

• Caution When winding the film, never turn the film winding knob while CONTINUOUSLY pressing the film advance button because this will damage the gears inside and result in a breakdown. After pressing it once release it, then turn the film advance knob to wind the film.

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The Diacord G manual (5/58 rev) does not have a camera care section so there are no warnings like this in it. The Diacord L manual (8/57 rev) has the first four warnings (verbatim).

The 225 and Diacord L have Seikosha shutters (though different models), so these warnings may or may not apply to the Citizen shutter in the Diacord G. (Diacord L reference manual information courtesy of David F. Stein.)

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In comparison, manuals for two Minolta Autocords with Seikosha-MX shutters (standard and L models) don't have such dire warnings. They say:

"Taking Pictures"

1. Turn the film advance crank until it stops and the number 1 appears on the exposure counter window. The number may appear before the handle stops turning but continue winding until it stops. Then turn the handle back and snap it into the crank rack. The shutter is now cocked and the film is wound to the first frame, at this time the warning signal turns to red. (Note: The shutter cannot be released until the film advance crank is returned to the handle holder position)

2. Set the desired shutter and diaphragm opening .....

...(snip)....

7. If you do not expect to use your loaded camera for some time, keep the lens cap on, turn your diaphragm to f/22 and release the shutter. To use the camera again, turn the crank in the reverse direction just once. This will cock the shutter without wasting a frame of film.

(Also, a warning in bold type on time exposures and using the shutter lock)

"Never wind the film advance crank while the shutter release button is locked as it will cause trouble"

(Autocord info courtesy of Redmond Young.)

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Email: greg.erker@home.com