Meet the Leofoto Agulhas; this tripod combines the best of Leofoto's technologies to offer a large tripod ideally suited for nature photographers who need serious camera support.
It isn't by coincidence that this tripod bears the name of Africa's southern tip. It's a custom model we had made for the South African market. If you're not a tripod nerd, then all you need to know is that this is the last tripod you'll ever buy. If you are a tripod nerd, keep reading to understand why we love this tripod so much and why we went to the effort of asking Leofoto to make a custom tripod for us.
Specs
- Full Height with LH-47LR - 1700mm
- Full Height Legs Only - 1600mm
- Folded Length with LH-47LR - 695mm
- Folded Length Legs Only - 595mm
- Weight with LH-47LR - 2680g
- Weight Legs Only - 2080g
- Load Rating - 20kg
Tall 36mm, 4-Section Model
The Agulhas features fat 36mm legs (2nd largest size) to ensure excellent stability in testing conditions like wind and moving water. It is a 4-section model, which ensures a reasonable folded size. One of the biggest issues with Leofoto's 4-section models is that it is too short for anyone over 1.75m, which is a LOT of South Africans. We made sure that the tripod is tall enough - at full extension it reaches 170cm, which is tall enough for people up to 1.95m or offers much needed spare length for people of normal height. Spare length is critical when shooting on slopes or uneven terrain and something that most people overlook when investing in a good tripod.
Poseidon Joint Tech + Protective Coating
The Agulhas features Leofoto's newest generation of joints, which have several massive improvements over a standard Ranger. These joints feature a double gasket, designed to keep water and dirt out, which greatly increases lifespan and ease of use. The joint is designed to a much higher overall standard - the body is made from a high density composite and all tolerances are much better. The result is incredible leg rigidity thanks to an improved connection between leg sections. The blue legs are not about aesthetics - it is a durable protective vinyl wrap designed to extend the life of the tripod. The final touch is titanium end-caps; the "plug" that is mounted to the end of the tube, which the feet screw into. This also extends the tripod's lifetime when used in corrosive environments.
CEX Leveling Base
By far the most underrated model from Leofoto is the CEX Rangers that feature a high quality leveling base incorporated in the apex. A leveling base is something that absolutely all tripods should have as it is critical for panoramic and video work. Compared to modular versions, having it built into the apex simplifies design, reduces weight and lowers center of gravity. This was thus an absolute must-have feature for the Agulhas as it increases it's versatility and function exponentially.
47mm Clamshell Ballhead with Lever Release Clamp
The finishing touch is the head - Leofoto's LH heads are without a doubt the best value-for-money tripod heads in the world. Very few manufacturers do clamshell design as it involves complex and expensive milling, but it is very well worth it. The design is simpler than conventional heads, which extends lifespan. It is also much stronger than other heads of the same ball size due to a larger contact area between the ball and the housing. It is also lower, which again lowers center of gravity. After 4 years we are close to 1000 Leofoto LH ballheads sold in SA and the failure rate so far is a whopping 0%.
We chose to pair this with a 47mm ball, the second largest they make, as it can then handle anything up to 10kg video rigs or super-tele lenses.
The cherry on the cake is Leofoto's premium lever release arca clamp, which just makes it a dream to lock and unlock your camera compared to screw release clamps.
Conclusion
Our original vision was to offer the best possible value in a large tripod that can handle wind, waves and super-tele lenses. The Summit tripods are absolutely fantastic, but the large modular apex comes at a hefty price tag. A simple comparison is the Summit LM-364C, also a 36mm and 4-section, which will also cost R14 999 with the same head. Except you won't have the Poseidon joint tech or a leveling base; add those two and you'll end up well over R20 000. it's also too short for tall people and you'll get a screw-clamp at that price. While the modular Summit apex is great, it does increase folded diameter drastically, so the Agulhas also folds up a bit smaller, which makes it more travel friendly.
We hope and trust that this tripod will become a recognisable go-to camera support solution for serious nature shooters in SA. With the support of the amazing people at Leofoto, we put our heart and soul into this tripod to offer the best possible value in a versatile ultra-premium tripod.
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us via the contact page.
Do you have the item in stock?
Products are either in stock, out of stock (sold out) or special order.
- In stock: We have stock at our local warehouse. You can see how many we have in stock, add these products to your cart and check out.
- Sold out: We usually carry stock of this item but it has sold out. Please get in touch to get an ETA and reserve and incoming product. Or use the "Email me when available" button to get an email when new stock arrives.
- Special order: We don't carry local stock of this item. Get in touch to confirm stock availability and ETA to place an order.
Delivery options and what they cost
We pride ourselves on lightning fast shipping, FREE on all orders over R1000. For orders under R1000 a courier fee of R120 will apply. Apart from large f-stop gear orders and large tripods, most of our items ship overnight and the daily cutoff is 13:00. You can read more on the deliveries page.
Can I collect my parcel?
Yes, you can collect your order from our warehouse in Saxenburg Park, Blackheath (08:00 - 14:00). Just choose the collection option at checkout- we'll follow up with the specifics. Please note that we are very strict about payment if collecting. We will not release any goods if we are not 100% comfortable about payment. We accept the following as payment confirmation in order to release the goods.
- Payfast Card Payment (any customers, new or returning)
- EFT from FNB to FNB, pending fund clearance (any customers, new or returning)
- Normal EFT from other banks to FNB (return customers only)
- Instant EFT from other banks to FNB, pending fund clearance (Any customers, new or returning)
- Cash (any customers, new or returning)
What payment options are available?
What is your policy on returns and or exchanges?
We are more than happy to exchange any product for something else or a full refund* if you feel that the item you chose isn’t quite right for you. See our Return Policy page for more.
*If paying with any card, 4.5% of the transaction value goes to the credit card payment facilitation company. "Full Refund" means that we will return the full amount we received after the credit card service fees. If you are at all unsure that what you're buying is ideal for you, rather opt for EFT payment to be safe.
Where is my order? How can I track my order?
You will receive an email with your tracking number once your order has been collected by our couriers. You can also find tracking number for your orders under "My account"
Shop 5 Roeland Square, Cnr Roeland and, Upper Canterbury St, Cape Town
0214653573
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Fritz, 0219101380
Boskruin, Randburg
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043 726 2200
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Emil, 0844849959
Shop 5 Roeland Square, Cnr Roeland and, Upper Canterbury St, Cape Town
0214653573
Victorian Towers, 2 Palm St, Bellville, Cape Town
Fritz, 021 910 1380
Kloof, Durban
Emil, 0844849959
Durbanville
Bernard Kotze - 0727156743
Ivan Fourie - 0825290593
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Eastern Cape (Hunting Products Only)
0835749134
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Pretoria
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We have a no-nonsense approach. If a product breaks due to a manufacturer defect, we will replace it without asking any questions. If we have any reason to believe that the product was put through unreasonably heavy usage, we will have to follow the manufacturer's standard warranty procedure.
Leofoto
The manufacturer offers a 10-year limited warranty on all products and we extend that warranty to our customers. Please read the below very carefully, so you understand your position when something breaks or doesn’t work ideally anymore.
It is critical to understand that this warranty only applies to factory faults and not to standard wear and tear. Tripods are subject to a lot of gray areas in this regard as tripods used outdoors, particularly in sand and sea water, are subjected to extreme wear and tear. We will e.g. replace the affected part of your tripod if a carbon tube snaps or cracks without much pressure applied to it or if the apex breaks. We will not replace your tripod or the affected part if e.g. a joint locks up due to sand or salt build up or if a hinge becomes corroded or stiff/floppy and unserviceable due to corrosion or salt build up.
In sum, if we see that you took good care of your tripod and something went wrong, we will go out of our way to fix or replace it for you. If we see that you dragged it through the mud (literally or metaphorically), then we are unlikely to fix/replace it for you. How you handle your tripod and take care of it, is all the difference between 3- or 20 years of service.
The best of tripods will not last longer than 2/3 years if used regularly in the sea, INCORRECTLY, and never serviced. Always make sure to extend the lowest leg section first, so you keep the joints out of the water/sand. Always rinse with freshwater after use in the sea, wipe down with a wet cloth, leave extended to dry and ENSURE YOU KEEP THE HEAD AND APEX DRY. If your tripod’s joints start feeling sandy/gritty, open them up, give them a proper clean and lubrication and fine-tune the tension on the joints.
If travelling on dirt roads, ensure that your tripod is in its carry-bag when not in use.
Your tripod will not take care of itself – it is up to you to do so. All our tripods ship with an info-sheet on taking care of your tripod. We also offer a full tripod disassembly and service for R1000, including shipping both ways.