Say Hello to Leofoto's New and Improved AM-5 and AM-6 Magic Arm Kits
When it comes to mounting anything anywhere, magic arms are the solution to almost any problem. These nifty gadgets feature two arms connected by an elbow hinge, with two ball-joints at the tip, all locked by a single lever on the elbow. The combination of the elbow and two balls allows virtually any orientation and position.
Heavy Duty, Designed for Cine Industry - The AM-5 and AM-6 are Leofoto's heavy duty magic arms, designed for the daily wear and tear of the cinema industry. The entire arm is made from machined aircraft-grade aluminium and stainless steel. The only exception is some rubber seals and padding. These arms can comfortably handle loads of 1.5-3kg, depending on the leverage exerted by the orientation.
They are ideal for mounting monitors, light panels or tablets. They can also be used in conjunction with a clamp or suction-cup to mount cameras or lights to absolutely anything from a balcony rail to a mountain bike or a vehicle. We are always surprised by what people get up to with magic arms, so we won't try to prescribe specific uses to you.
Connections Kit - The kit version comes with Leofoto's proprietary 3/8" connections installed, but also includes one of the new 1/4" connections described below, as well as one standard 1/4" connection.
This is one of the key areas of improvement over the older models. The new 1/4" tip has 3 key features that allows it to be locked on incredibly firmly. 1) It has a large flat contact area with a rubber grip pad - this is absolutely crucial to prevent wiggling and flex at the joint. 2) It has a large knurled locking dial, which allows a firm lock by hand. 3) When hands aren't strong enough, the locking dial has holes that allow the insertion of an allen key, which gives a ton of leverage and allows the arm to be locked as if it was welded into the port.
Standard Magic Arms vs Kit Magic Arms
The Kit version has Leofoto's proprietary 3/8" connections. It also includes one of the new 1/4" connections with locking dial and one standard 1/4" connection. The kit version does not feature the cold shoe connection.
The main lock at the elbow features a large ergonomic control, which makes it easy to apply a lot of locking force to the arm.
These accessories can get very complicated very quickly - if you have any doubts about the right tool for your job, don't hesitate to get in touch with us for help.
More about Leofoto's Magic Arms
Leofoto's magic arms offer endless mounting solutions for accessories and come in a massive range of sizes. The arms are split into 3 different size categories as below, with each offering different lengths and amount of joints.
- AM-1 & AM-2
The AM-1/2 series is small, compact and lightweight, features 1/4" screw tips and we would not recommend mounting anything heavier than 500g using these.
- AM-3/4
The AM-3/4 arms are larger and stronger and can handle loads of up to 500-1000g, depending on balance and positioning. The standard version has a 1/4" screw thread tip, while the kit version of these have a larger 3/8" tip and a special mounting head with stabilising bevels that correspond with a female port found on Summit tripods and some of Leofoto's clamps and accessories.
- AM-5/6
The AM-5/6 arms (released Dec 2022) are a heavy duty upgrade of the smaller arms previously available. We recommend these for use in the cine industry, to mount monitors, lights mics etc.
The kit version features tips with Leofoto's super solid proprietary accessory connection system found on the Apex of Summit tripods as well as many clamps and other accessories. The kit includes two 1/4" replacement tips - one standard and one of the new style 1/4" tips with the independent locking control.
- AM-7
The AM-7 kit was developed on our request for the South African PRS and ELR market. This allows the simplest possible mounting combination of a spotting scope and Kestrel on a tripod without requiring multiple tripods or any special rail. Simply mount your scope on the tripod head, while the magic arm accepts the Kestrel on the rotating vane. The length of the AM-7 ensures that the Kestrel sits well above the scope, so that the scope does not influence the wind measurement. Mounting the kestrel leaves you free to focus on the rest - you don't have to constantly pick it up and take a measurement as the wind changes.
Leofoto also developed the CF-7P universal spirit-level to be combined with this to ensure that the kestrel's vane sits perfectly level so it can swivel easily in a light breeze for the most accurate possible reading.
The AM-7 can be used for any application - as with the AM-3 and AM-4, the special 3/8" mounting points can be replaced with a standard 1/4" tip.
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
Victorian Towers, 2 Palm St, Bellville, Cape Town
Fritz, 0219101380
Boskruin, Randburg
Deon Truter, 0823148308
Stonemill Office Park, Greenstone House
300 Acacia Rd, Johannesburg
Wilhelmus Möller, 0118802885
28 Pearce St, Berea, East London
043 726 2200
Kloof, Durban
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
1032 Silvergrass St, Montana, Pretoria, 0182
Wayne Lesch – 0798834407
Damien Bradshaw
Eastern Cape (Hunting Products Only)
0835749134
Approved Arms
Pretoria
Dirk Pio – 0730556726
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.