New ownership; continued excellence
The History of ICT
International Camera Technicians was founded by Manfred Mueller in 1972. Manfred’s dedication to quality repair and attention to detail earned him a reputation as a master technician.
When Manfred decided to retire in 2020, he passed his legacy of excellence in camera repair to Jim Holman. Jim has a strong desire to capture the knowledge of old school repairmen like Manfred before they retired and their storehouse of knowledge was lost.
Our Master Technician
Jim Holman
Jim began his camera repair career in 1984, working in a high-volume repair facility. His natural mechanical aptitude, combined with his curiosity, led to him quickly expanding the range of equipment he worked on. In addition, his electronics degree made him a go-to resource for troubleshooting problems that others couldn’t resolve.
Now he is a Nikon factory trained technician who also has extensive experience with Canon, Rolleiflex, Pentax, Minolta, Leica, and Hasselblad equipment.
Rather than accepting the factory service standard of quickly replacing large part assemblies, Jim focuses instead on why something has stopped working to make sure the core issues are truly addressed. He believes that taking the time to understand how the smallest part affects the greater picture ultimately allows him to repair equipment that other technicians might give up on.
Manfred as Mentor
Manfred Mueller, founder and owner of ICT, entered a fine mechanic apprenticeship program in Germany in 1950, when he was just 14 years old.
This 4½ year program covered all aspects of the trade, from equipment design and drafting to machining, fabrication, welding, and metallurgy, specializing in camera repair and more. After his apprenticeship, Manfred went to work for a small shop doing a wide range of tasks for a variety of customers.
In 1960, he moved to the US to work for Red Lakes, a company renowned for their work with high-speed motion picture cameras. Eventually, with decades of experience under his belt, in 1970 he opened ICT.
Over the years, Manfred’s clientele has included the US Air Force, NASA Ames, Stanford University, Imogen Cunningham, and Ansel Adams.
Today, to keep active, he stays on with ICT as a consultant. This legacy of quality and precision drew us to him. We are proud to continue upholding his values long into the future of ICT.
