The New Glarus Populist

June 2019. When my university retiree account disappeared with a new change in policy, the pictures I uploaded to this blog while logged into that account disappeared. I'm working on fixing that but it's going to be at least a summer long project. 

When I did the new templates for the Populist, I was a little obsessed about the 120 versions, and have to confess, I never tried the new 35mm template. I've finally gotten around to it. With my new obsession of utilizing the printed surface of the card stock the camera was made out of,  this one was made out of a six pack of New Glarus Beer. (Probably Spotted Cow, but it doesn't matter which one since they all come in the same carrier.)

The design is a little large scale for a 35mm camera, but I was careful to use the Wisconsin Brewery Guild label for the shutter, and the horses from the beer wagon on the back. It strikes me that the New Glarus package design isn't terribly obvious and it sort of looks like camo at first glance.

Instead of gluing the printed viewfinders from the template, I cut triangles of the right shape to give a little depth to sight down rather than the two dimensional line, and it does give it a cleaner look.

Making the box with glued flaps seems to make a bit more of a rigid box contributing to a cleaner look.

I mentioned in the post about measuring pinholes with the Teslong USB microscope that I needed a .15mm pinhole which was for this camera. I haven't tried to drill a pinhole this small since developing the original Populist in 2007.  I am pleasantly surprised how well this one turned out.

I also coated it with about 5 coats of clear Krylon. It got caught in a little bit of a rain shower, and that seems to have worked.

The cardboard, although it looks brown, is actually white and not opaque at all. I intended on light proofing it, but forgot and loaded and shot a roll of film in it and as suspected it wasn't opaque and left a vague impression of the printing on the box on every frame that wasn't totally exposed. The sun is a vengeful benefactor.

I covered the interior with 3M 235 black opaque photographic tape and that of course worked great.

I know you're thinking a tour of microbreweries would have been the thing to test it out, but I'm afraid it's down the garden path again.

On first glance the results don't look too different from the Gilder electron microscope aperture I've been using for years.

A monarda mixed with the phlox.

Spiky purple cone flowers are a good choice to test the pinhole

A couple of wet lilies.

Close up to a white rose.

And getting as close as possible to a white lily.

It looks like the new design works.  You should make one and try it out. This world could use a pinhole in every pocket.