Ricoh DIACORD L User manual

www.orphancameras.com

t
.
I
O Corrying strop connection
@ Film
windingknob
@ Depth-of-field
scole
@ Filmodvonce button
@ Exposure
counter
window
@ Film exposure index sccle
window
@ Exposure
meter needle
@ Exposure
meter scole
@ Film
exposure
indexselector
slide button
@ Finder
lens
@ Toking lens
@ M-F-X Synchronizotion
lever
@ Shutter
speedselector
lever
I
I

"f
$
it
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
DUO-LEVER
Focusing
Shutter button protecfor ring
Combined nome plote ond
lighi window cover
Lighi window (Selenium
pho-
tocell)
Shutter releose button
Shutter cocking lever
Mognifier for criticol focus-
ing
Froming operture for direcf
view-finding
Focusinghood
Froming
operture front plote
Exposure window
@ Toke-up spool knob
@ Cordless flosh contoct
@ Accessory shoe
@ Self-timer button
@ Light volue selector lever
@ Flosh terminol
@ Tripod bushing
@ Bock cover locking disc
@ Bock cover lock tob
@ Film pressure
plote
@ Cortridge positioning cliP
@ Lever for outomotic zero'
setting of film counter
@ Film Stort mork
2
www.orphancameras.com

FTLM
I.OAD'NG
Alwoys qvold dlrecl sunlight
When the bock cover is open
the t' 0 " in the film counter
window oppeors outomoticollY,
Fis.
3.

Rotote the locking disc
direction of the orrow.
As this loosens
the lock, open
the bock cover by roising uP
this lock. Fig. 2.
Breok the film roll seol, being
coreful not to qllow the film
rollto become unwound. With
the block side of the film
focing inword, ploce the film
inside
while pulling the knob
os shownin Fig. 5. 4
in the
Fis.
1.
The
empty
spool
con be eosilY
put in the
toke-uP
chomber
bY
pulling the knob os shown in
Fig. 4.
www.orphancameras.com

6 Mqke doubly sure the roll is
properly engoged ot both
ends. The slightest deviotion
will homper smooth winding
ond result in foilure. Fig. 6-
7 Corefully pull out qbout 6 in.
of the film qnd slip the end
into the longer of the two
slotsin the empty spool. Here
be especiolly coreful thot the
tip of the film is not put in
croo-ked or otherwise out of
olignment. Fig. 7.
Turn the film winding knob
until the number r'1" <rppeors
ond the knob outomqticollY
comes to q stop. Now it is
reody for toking photogroPhs.
Fig. t 0.
As soon os the film hos been
looded, turn the exposure
meter slide button until the
ASA number of your film qp-
peqrs on the film exposure
index scole. Fig. I 1. (Refer to
| | pose z)

8 As you slowly wind the film
o film stort mork (A morks
or 1-- --> mork) will op-
peor. Now, line up the film
stort mqrks with the A mork
on both sides
of the comerq
os shownin Fig. 8.
9 Th.n close the bock cover.
The reverse order of opening
the cqmerq is used to close
it. Moke sure the locking disc
is turned fully ond firmly in
ploce. This completes the loqd-
ing of the cqmero. Fig. 9.
After you hove tqken one
. picture, pressthe film odvonce
button, releqse it qnd wind
until the next number oppe<lrs
qnd the knob outomoticolly
, rcomes to <l stop. Fig. 12.
After thelost picture,
o O mqrk
oppeors ond the film winding
knob con be turned continu-
ously until the remoinin! film
hos beencompletelyrolled up
t g on the toke-upspool.
Fig.
13.
www.orphancameras.com

When winding lhe film never lurn the film winding knob
while CONfTNUOUSI'y pressing the film qdvonce button
becouse this witl domoge lhe geors inside ond resulf in o
breokdown. After pressing if once releqse it, then turn the
film qdvonce knob to wind the film.
FIIM EXPOSURE
INDEX
Note: When you purchose film, whether it is
block ond white or color film, the film exposure
index of the film is olwoys cleorly specified
on the box or in the enclcsed instructions'
For exomple, for the commonly colled X film
the exposure index is 50, for XX 100 ond
200 for XXX. As the film exposure index
becomes foster you must use o corresponding
lower exposure (shutter ond f stop). Therefore,
to mqke proPer exposures it is importont thot
you olwoys keep in mind the type of film you
hove in your comero (The exposure index)
'
Unlooding is done, under subdued light, in
reverse order of looding film. After the roll
hos been token out the roll is seqled tightly
with tope. Fold the tip of the poper strip
inword ond tope the seol over it. This will
moke the film more convenient to hondle in
the dorkroom. And, it is olso sofer to olwoys
wrop the exposed film with light-proof Poper
such os tin foil.
-7 -

II
t
Regordless of how good o comero you hove, through
corelessexposure o much onticipoted subiect will turn out
o disoppointing white or block. In phofogrophy there is
nothing more importont thon proper exposure. Up till now,
moy people hove been toking photogrophs with only o
rough guess of the exposure bosed on their senses or
exposure tobles. Only through proper exposure con you
truly oppreciote the result of o good photogroph. To fulfil
this requirement it is best to use qn exposure meter which
determines the exposure scientificolly.
' The DIACORD L hos o built-in direct-reqding type expo
sure meter of the lotest type. Therefore, even q novice con
become proficient in photogrophy mony times foster thon
with comeros which do not hove o built-in exposure meter.
Especiolly in color photogrophy, it shows off its greotest
versotility.
PRINCIPTES
OF THE EXPOSURE
METER
The light window behind the nome plote is o selenium
photocell.
When light strikes
this light window on electric current is generoted
occording to the strength of the light. (ln other words, the selenium
photocell octs os o converter ond converts light into electric current).
When ihis electric current is tronsmitted fo the golvonometer, the
needle inside the exposure meter, of the side of the comero, moves
ond indicotes the brightnessof the subiect on its light scole. This is
how qn exposure meter meosures the proper setting. Further, the
numbers which oppeor on the DIACORD L light scole indicote light
volues. Slight differences in respective methods or meons moy exist
but the principle of o light meter is os exploined obove.
8-
www.orphancameras.com

HOW TO USE
THE
EXPOSURE
METER
In the reflected light type the rule is to meosure light
by pointing it toword the subiect from comero position'
But,'when lhotogtophing people ogoinst o bright bock-
. ground, you should gef close enough to the-subiect so
iou con obtoin o true reoding of only the reflected light
, from the subiect.
Also, when photogrophing o distont view, such os expon'
sive scenery, if your comerd is tilting upword too high
it will meosure the light from the sky ond the more
importont trees or buildings will become underexposed'
S"l meosure by tilting the comero slightly downword
toword the ground. When photogrophing info o light
source be clreful not to ollow direct light to enter the
light window of the exposure meter.
.\6\
,l':[ t
lvr- -
9-
_a

I
l
I
EXPOSURE
AND
L'GHT VALUE
In order to tcke o photogroph it is necessory for
o certoin omount of light to poss through thc lens
ond reoch the film. This is termed on exposure'
We hove olreody exploined the greot importonce
of proper exposure. Up till now, it wos necessory
to set the shutter speed ond f stop seporotely'
However, o light volue expresses
with one number
the necessory
relotionship between the shutterspeed
ond f stop for correct exposure under o given
light source. Therefore, to determine the exposure,
oll thot is required is to tronsfer this light volue
to the exposure window for the proper exposure'
This light volue system wos first odopted in Jopon
on the RICHO 500 followed by the DIACORD L
ond hos immenselysimplified the determining of
exposure.
Furthermore;onthe DIACORD Lmoximumversotility is
ossured with o BUILT-IN
exposure meter. The ronge
of the light volue scole on the DIACORD L is from 4
to 17 with exposure becoming double for eoch
decreose in number.
The SEIKOSHA MXt exposure scole hos odofted
the '1,2, 5, 'lO, 25,50, I00, 250, 500 series ond
is not in multiple series. But, the scole intervols,
other thon 500, ore in olignment ond the chonges
in exposure time ond f stop ore mode completely
outomoticolly. -10-
I
i
I
I
I
li'
I
www.orphancameras.com

This relqtion con be expressed by o foble os follows
:

HOW TO USE THETIGFIT VALUE
Pleose look <rt the exposure window'on
the top of the finder lens. The number
cfosest
to you is the shutter speed scole,
the middle red number the light volue
scole <lnd the outside white number the
f stop.
l,
I
I
I
I
I
1) Make sure thqt you mqtch the
film exposure index of the film in
your cqmerq with the number which
oppeors on the film exposure in-
dex window of your exposure
meter. (Refer to poge 5 for method
of motching numbers). Now. point
your cqmerq toword the subiect
you intend to photogroph. In out-
door photogrophy, where if is
usuql-
ly bright, leove the combined nome
plote ond light window coverclosed.
As shown in figure, while slightly
pulling the rneter knob turn the
meter knob counter-clockwise until
you motch
up the "CLOSED" morkV
with the red mork. According to the
brightness of the subiect, the red
needle of the meter ot the side of
the cqmero will move qnd eventuol-
ly come to q stop of o certoin
point. The number indicoted ot
this point is the proper exposure
lisht volue. (Fig. 1). -12-
a
www.orphancameras.com

2l In indoor or dork ploces, if
there isno movement of the meter
needle, open the light window
cover fo increqse the omount of
light striking the light window
which rqises the sensitivity of the
meter. In the some monner os
before, while slightly Pulling the
meter knob, turn the knob clock-
wise until you motch uP the
"OPENED" mqrk V with the red
mqrk. (Fig. 2l
3) The light window cover con be
opened by pressing the extend-
ed stem ot the upper left-hond
corner of the light window cover
focing the cqmero. To closethe
light window cover, press the
opposite side of the cover until
it cotches. (Fig. 3 ond 4l..
l3
-

65)
5
4l After you hove determined the
proper exposure, move the light
volue selector lever while wqtch_
ing the exposure window ond
motch up the yellow pointer with
the number tqken from the meter
reodins. (Fig. 5)
lf lhe number fqken from the
meter reoding does not qppeor
in the exposure window move the
light volue selector lever ond the
shutter speed selector lever to-
gether until you find it. In Fig.7
the light vqlue is set ot 12. you
con tqke o photogroph with this
vqlue but in order to bring out
the best quolities of your subiect,
mqke the necessory odiusfments
within limits requiring no chonge
in the light volue. (More qbout
fhis relqtion is exploined in the
toble on Poge ll). Thisis done
by moving fhe shutterspeed selec-
tor lever. At this point DO NOT
move the light votue selector
lever becquse fhis will throw the
proper exposure off bqlonce.
7
14*
www.orphancameras.com

8 .'"'r,
4l when you wqnt both foreground ond bockground in
shorp focussuch
os group photogrophs move the shutter
speed selector lever upword' When you wont iust the
foreground in shorp focus, such os o portrqit' move the
shutter speed selector lever downword to dim the
bockground. At this point. to determine the limits in
which the subiect is in sho
rp focus see the depth-of
-
field scole on your knob. lf you wish fo photogroph
sport events or scenery f
rom the win
dow of o troin
requiring fost shutter sp..dr, move the shutter speed
selector lever downword ond motch up the red line
with the proper shutter speed. lf you wont to show
the feeling of motion of moving obiects' move the shutter
speed selector lever upword. Moke sureyou occurotely
olign the shutter speed scole. settings between the
numbers on the shutter speed scole will NOT give you
on intermediote shuttersPeed'
5) In the obove coses, os long os there is no chonge in
light vqlue the exposure remoins the some' Therefore'
os long os you once motch up the light volue, the depth-
of-field ond shutter speed con be chonged, within limits
requiring no chonge in the light volue, ond still mointoin
the some exposure'
l5 --

GUTDE
FOR BECOfiIINGA GOOD
PHOTOGRAPFIER
As long os you remember o few simple rules,
even o novice con become q good photogropher.
lf you follow the rules given below, we ore
confident you will quickly show remorkobles
imp
rovement.
1) Hove you ever hod double exposures?
To prevent double exposures, ocquire the
hobit of olwcys winding the film immediotely
ofter releosing the shutter.
2l Hove you ever hod the four corners of your
photogroph turn block?
Lotely, it hqs become common procfice to use
o hood under overoge conditions. Buf, there
moy be some of you who hove hod the four
corners of your mosterpiece turn block becouse
you used cl hood of different moke. lt is best
to use on occessory which hos been especiolly
mode. And ogoin, if you ottoch the hood
incorrectly it might couse you iust os much
trouble. On the DIACORD L ottoch the hood so
thqt the words RICOH comes out on top.
3) Are you sure the cqse is not covering the
toking lens ?
In the twin lens reflex, the finder lens is in <l
differenf position so even if you cc:n see the
whole subiect through the finder lens, octuolly
the cover moy be covering the toking lens.
When ropid-shooting, it is best to be on the
sqfe side ond remove the front cover whenever
possible.
16
www.orphancameras.com

HOW TO FOCUS
The DIACORD L hos o unique DUO-
LEVERfor focusing which will enoble you,
with c:little proctice, to focus without the
focusing hood. However, when you ore
not pressed for time it is better to use
the focusing hood for hoirline focusing.
Focusing is done from the bockground
toword the foreground. In tqking subiects
with o deep depth-of-field, such os group
photogrophy, o
diust focus iust short of
center. This is becouse when fhe subiect
is in good focus the width of the depth-
of-field becomes wider ot the bock thon
in front of center.
I
I
t7-

I) While looking into the focus-
ing hood move the DUO-LEVER
with synchronized
movements
of
both thumbs ploced on both
ends of the lever. The subiect
isin focus where it oppeors the
shorpest.
(Fig. 1)
22l For hoirline focusing,
usethe
wiCe-field mognifier. Justpush
the top port of the direct view-
finder frome plote with your
finger tips ond it will outomot-
icollyswing into position.
(Fig.2)
3) When using the direct view-
finder frome, press the direct
view-finder frome plote down
flot until it cofches.
(Fig.3). The
fromeplote con be returned
to
its originol position by moving
the hood slightly bqck.
F IB
_
www.orphancameras.com