Canon Digital Ixus

1935 Talbot T120 4 door Saloon, probably a 3.5L OHV straight six engine. Talbot- Darraq was formed by the merger of two very early Anglo-French car makers, and they had factories in both Suresnes, near Paris, and London. They took over the ailing Sunbeam Motors of Wolverhampton, England, in 1920, forming Sunbeam-Talbot-Darraq. The Darraq name was gradually dropped, and Sunbeam Talbot was eventually taken over by the Rootes Group of Coventry in 1935. Fond memories, because for a brief time in the early 1960's, I owned a 1936 3½ litre Talbot BG110, one of the last two ever built. It was assembled at the Rootes factory in Coventry, and fitted with a James Young aluminium drop-head coupe body, identical to that fitted to the 4¼ Litre MX Series Bentley. Those were the Days !! 2.1 mPX Canon Digital Ixus, photofinished in Gimp.

Taken at a local Citroën 2CV meeting some years ago, this elegant 15HP Citroën saloon is from the mid twenties, and was Citroën's first real attempt to enter the quality end of the French car market. It was followed by the more succesful Citroën Grande Lux, known affectionately as the "Rosalie". The gent looking at the car is a member of a local Creusois choir, wearing traditional costume. Taken with the very first model Canon Digital Ixus, only 2.1 mpx !! Canon Ixus, photfinished in Gimp

This 19th century public house was originally called the Queen Victoria, but since everyone refers to it simply as "The Queen Vic", it was re-named just that, when it was re-vamped ! A nice restoration, but spoilt by the air conditioning units on the main facade. Canon Ixus 960is

Another Ensign, this time an 820, takes 6x9 or 6x6 frames on 120 or 620 film. The title refers to the fact that I fitted it with a Schneider Xenar lens in a Compur shutter, which came from a very tired Kodak Vollenda, and replaced the damaged Ensar shutter and lens originally fitted. The result is quite good, but I don't use it much, - again, nowhere for a rangefinder !! Canon Ixus 960is

1950's Ensign Selfix 16-20, Model II. A very nice 6x4.5 folder, and made in England ! This version has an f4.5/75mm Ross Xpres lens - a Tessar clone, and a folding Albada viewfinder. Takes 16 frames on 120 (or 620!) film. High quality of construction and finish, but spoilt by having no accessory shoe for a rangefinder, and the front cannot be closed with a filter mounted - how stupid !! There were other versions of this camera, with triplet lens and conventional viewfinder, and also a version with a coupled rangefinder, but these last are rare, and thus quite expensive. Ensign was the trademark of a wide range of cameras made by the Houghton Butcher company in London, one of the earliest camera makers in England, but despite several mergers in post war years, they finally ceased production in 1961. Canon Ixus 960is Camera-Wiki article: camera-wiki.org/wiki/Houghton_and_Ensign

Chestnut and Oak trees in our garden. Taken from almost the same place as the previous picture, but with a much older Canon Ixus ! Canon IxusV2, 2.0 mpx. Photofinished in Picasa

Chestnut and Oak trees in our garden. Canon Ixus 960is, 12.1 mpx. Photofinished in Picasa

1940's DeSoto two door coupe. I don't imagine there are many of these left anywhere, and very few in Europe. This one was probably on holiday in France, because it is right hand drive, and has British registration plates and licence disc ! Founded in 1928 by Walter Chrysler, in Detroit, Michigan, DeSoto was named after the Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto, thought to be the first European to have crossed the Mississippi river, in 1541. Canon Digital Ixus V2

Hotchkiss 686 (or 680?). Produced between 1936 and 1952, - not sure when this one was built. More famous for their armaments than cars, the company was founded by the American gunsmith, Benjamin B Hotchkiss, who emigrated to France in 1867. Always luxury cars, they could not survive the economic austerity of post-war France, and despite a merger with Delahaye, another luxury car maker, production ended in the mid 1950's, athough they continued to build Willys Jeeps under licence for another decade. Canon Digital Ixus V2