If you've dabbled in film photography in the Lower Mainland, chances are you've heard of Frank Ho.
Known as the "Leica Man," an 80-year-old Richmond resident is one of the few local experts well-versed in fixing film cameras, both mechanical and electronic.
By his count, Ho has serviced more than 40,000 Leica cameras in his lifetime.
"I'm not a millionaire, but I don't have to worry about getting food on the table because I have my skills. I can control my own time and money," said Ho.
"I'm not a wasteful person, I have a regular family (and) I was able to send my kids to university."
As a testament to his expertise, Ho saw no shortage of community members seeking his advice at the Richmond Camera Show held at South Arm United Church earlier this year.
"Can you take a look at this camera I just bought?" many would ask, while others would check on his availability in the hopes of fixing a faulty shutter or light sensor.
Ho is one of four brothers among 11 siblings to become a camera technician. His experience in camera repairs dates back to the 1950s when he was about 12 or 13 years old.
"My father had been in the camera repair business even before (the Second World War)," he told the Richmond News. His father's customers included Sun Yat Sen's son Sun Fo and famous Hong Kong actor Sun Ma Sze Tsang.
His father, who worked for both Kodak and Pentax, taught Ho and his brothers how to fix cameras so they could help support the family.
Ho's older brother would go on to become the first Chinese person to receive training at Zeiss' headquarters in Germany in 1960.
Ho received his first camera technician certificate from Pentax in 1963 and moved on to Leica at his father's suggestion. He later obtained three more certificates in Germany and one in Japan.
At 25 years old, Ho was put in charge of Leica's repair operations in Asia, which served Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and other Asian countries. It was also where he took many young camera technicians under his wing.
"In this industry, my experience is practically the equivalent of a doctorate," Ho told the News, adding he is the only person in North America with four certificates from Leica.
Ho's experience isn't limited to Leica cameras either, all thanks to his brothers who specialized in other brands such as Zeiss, Hasselblad and Nikon.
"I can fix cameras from any brand," said Ho, though he is partial to fixing mechanical cameras.
"I've fixed mechanical cameras for the past 60 years and I know how to go about it without certain machinery."
Ho also knows how to fix digital cameras, but he is happy to leave them to the next generation.
"I've done my part with all the skills I've learned," he said.
Overcoming barriers
Ho is no stranger to overcoming challenges in foreign countries.
Training at Leica was conducted only in German, and despite knowing some German from lessons taken in Hong Kong, Ho wanted to learn more.
As such, he convinced his classmates to join him in treating instructors to a beer on weekends.
"(The instructors) were so happy to see the students being so enthusiastic that they started answering our questions in English even when they were not supposed to," Ho recalled.
When Ho moved to Canada with his family 37 years ago, it was not smooth sailing either.
He had chosen to settle down in Vancouver to avoid competing with his brothers, who were established in other parts of the country.
Ho was a welcome addition at Vancam Service, which sorely needed someone who knew how to repair German cameras. Ho's arrival meant Vancam no longer had to send cameras to Germany for repairs, and he was able to cut down the wait times from three months to one week.
But many remained skeptical of Ho's skills because of his race.
"The (boss at Vancam) would tell people to meet me in person — if they trusted me, they could then drop off their cameras," Ho said, adding that, to this day, many still choose to use the services of someone less qualified.
"This is something that has puzzled me over the years," he said.
A sunset industry
Now semi-retired, Ho spends his days taking care of his wife and enjoying hobbies such as painting, photographing landscapes and fixing watches.
Before Ho moved to Vancouver, he was a member of The Photographic Society of Hong Kong and would often serve as the judge in photography competitions.
He's also a regular at local camera shows, where he's always on the hunt for more old cameras that can be used for their parts.
Though film photography is seeing a resurgence in popularity, Ho is not planning to train more technicians to take over from him.
He sees the renewed interest as "terminal lucidity" rather than a ray of hope, though he is happy to see more people taking up the hobby again.
"Our industry is declining day by day," Ho said, adding that the industry is also affected by the slow economy and the convenience offered by the latest phone models.
"A lot of people would say, 'My kid should learn how to fix cameras from you.' My answer is, 'Yes, only if it's for fun. You can't make a living out of this.'"
At 80 years old, Ho thinks it's about time for him to retire. But for now, he'll focus on helping friends and working on the occasional requests from local camera shops.
"(My) eyes are old but, mentally, I can keep working for a bit longer," he said.
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