Leofoto LH-55 Low Profile Ballhead-LH-55 | Screw Release Standard-
Leofoto LH-55 Low Profile Ballhead-
Leofoto LH-55 Low Profile Ballhead-
Leofoto LH-55 Low Profile Ballhead-
Leofoto LH-55 Low Profile Ballhead-LH-55R | Screw Release Panning-
Leofoto LH-55 Low Profile Ballhead-
Leofoto LH-55 Low Profile Ballhead

Leofoto LH-55 Low Profile Ballhead

Regular price R 5,499.00
/
Tax included.
2 in stock

Clamp type
This is the big boy in the range and what would be considered an oversize model. It weighs a whopping 940g and will comfortably hold an 800mm lens. Think twice before purchasing this head as it is not travel friendly. It features a massive locking knob and two decent sized knobs for tension adjustment and panning, all with deep ribbing for good grip. This head is equivalent to a Kirk BH1, Gitzo GH3382QD or SIRUI K40x.
This head is ideal for large lenses (400mm f/2.8 and bigger) and large cameras (medium –large format)

Specifications

  • Weight: 940g
  • Max Load: 25kg
  • Height: 98mm
  • Ball Diameter: 55mm
  • Base Diameter: 72mm
  • Plate Model: QP-70

*Minor variations with clamp variants

Clamp Types

The LH-55 is available in two clamp types.

Screw Clamp Standard | E.G LH-55

This is the standard and most affordable option and what you’ll get when purchasing a tripod kit containing an LH head.

Screw Clamp Panning | E.G LH-55R

A panning clamp allows easy panorama shooting by simply levelling the clamp instead of the entire tripod. Note 1 – the spirit level on the clamp will be under the camera, so you need to remove the camera to level the clamp. Note 2 – as you cannot tilt the clamp up or down as you would if the whole tripod is levelled, your horizon will always be in the middle of the frame. 

Lever Release Clamp Standard | E.G LH-55LR

Anyone who was spent a long day shooting with a screw-clamp tripod will know the effect it has on your fingers – loosening and tightening a screw clamp too many times can be tedious and painful. A lever release clamp makes life a lot easier, but the majority of manufacturers shy away from it for one reason – price. The lever has to be made from a much harder alloy like stainless steel, as aluminium and normal steel bends under the pressure that the lever is subjected to. Similarly, the flex provided to the hinge of the lever has to be from a brass bushing as rubber simply doesn’t last. 

About Leofoto LH (Low Profile) Ballheads

Leofoto’s low profile ball heads feature the latest in tripod head design combined with premium materials and precision manufacturing to offer a powerful, ergonomic and easy to use tripod head. A cup machined from aircraft-grade aluminium holds a hollow-core ball made from the same material, while Japanese ball bearings ensure smooth panning control and gaskets on all control-knobs keep out dirt and moisture. A low-friction Delrin sleeve is used between the cup and the ball to ensure smooth drag. This combination of cutting-edge design and premium materials puts Leofoto’s products far ahead of most manufacturers in the market, which are still making conventional heads.

Low profile ball heads offer several advantages over conventional ball heads -  

  1. The camera sits closer to the apex, which has several benefits like improved stiffness and a lower center of gravity.
  2. The cup has a much larger contact area with the ball, allowing greater grip.
  3. The lower profile design allows the use of a much bigger ball without making the overall head too large. Larger ball = better grip.
  4. A simpler design means a longer lifespan and better durability in testing conditions.
  5. Less material and a simpler design means it is lighter and cheaper than a similar-sized conventional ball head.

Want to know more about Leofoto's LH Ballhead range?

This article goes through all the options as well as clamp types.

Landscapegear Choosing a Leofoto LH Low Profile Ballhead

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?  

  • EFT
  • EFT via Payfast
  • Credit card: VISA & Mastercard
  • Payflex
  • Float

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" 

You can also shop NiSi Filters at the following retailers & dealers. 
Orms Cape Town
Shop 5 Roeland Square, Cnr Roeland and, Upper Canterbury St, Cape Town
0214653573
Orms Bellville
Victorian Towers, 2 Palm St, Bellville, Cape Town
Fritz, 0219101380
FilmFlow (Cinema Specialist)
Boskruin, Randburg
Deon Truter, 0823148308
Kameraz
Rosebank Mall, 50 Bath Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg
Martin Wright, 0118802885
Photoquip
28 Pearce St, Berea, East London
043 726 2200
Lime Photo
Kloof, Durban
Emil, 0844849959
 
You can also shop Leofoto Tripods at the following retailers & dealers. 
Orms Cape Town
Shop 5 Roeland Square, Cnr Roeland and, Upper Canterbury St, Cape Town
0214653573
Orms Bellville
Victorian Towers, 2 Palm St, Bellville, Cape Town
Fritz, 021 910 1380
Lime Photo
Kloof, Durban
Emil, 0844849959
3% Tactical
Durbanville
Bernard Kotze - 0727156743
Ivan Fourie - 0825290593
Pretoria Arms
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. 

Find more info on proper care and use for each brand below. 

NiSi Care & Use

F-stop Care & Use

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.

CHOOSING LEOFOTO

Tripod Heads

Leofoto offers a vast range of tripod heads to cover a broad base of user requirements. Take a few minutes to educate yourself on what is available, so you can make an informed decision when choosing a head suited to your needs.

Want to see and feel the range before buying? Visit our office in Saxenburg Park, Kuils River by contacting us.

Model naming

Leofoto tripod heads come in a diverse range of styles, sizes and clamp variations. Understanding the naming convention for each of the models is probably the easiest way to understand what each one does.

Tripod head types

LH | Low Profile

This is Leofoto's core range of
tripod heads and offers a variety of sizes and clamp variations. Priced from R1499 for the tiny LH-25 to R5 999 for the oversized LH-55.

NB | Conventional

A modern approach to a conventional ball head. The NB range features a panning clamp and clicked tension adjustment. Pricing ranges from R3 699 for the travel-friendly NB-34 to R4 499 for the large NB-46.

XB | Lightweight

Normally paired with the travel-oriented Urban range of legs, the XB heads are designed with weight in mind. The larger XB-38 weighs 310g, compared to 510g for the similarly sized NB-40 - a 40% weight difference.

G4 Geared Head

A geared head offers the ultimate compositional control that allows fine, easy and precise adjustments.

G2 Geared Head

The convenience and precise control of a geared head in a compact, travel-friendly design.

VH-10 Monopod Head

Extremely strong and heavy duty monopod head for large and heavy cameras and lenses.

CHOOSING LEOFOTO

G4 Geared Head

A geared head offers the ultimate compositional control that allows fine, easy and precise adjustments.

Leofoto G4

CHOOSING LEOFOTO

G2 Geared Head

The convenience and precise control of a geared head in a compact, travel-friendly design.

Leofoto G2

Choosing Leofoto

LH Heads

Low profile design offers many advantages over normal ball heads; simpler internal design, lower center of gravity, improved stiffness, greater ball-cup contact area, to name a few.

Choose your size

The range starts with the diminutive LH-25 with a tiny 25mm ball through to the large LH-55 with its 55mm ball. Our absolute favourite is the LH-40 as it features large ribbed control knobs, without being too heavy or expensive.

The LH-55 is an oversized head for super tele lenses or large format cameras. The LH-36 is an ideal size for those shooting with APS-C cameras or light full frame setups. The LH-30 and LH-25 are great for MFT and compact camera options or for people who hike a lot and count every gram that they pack.

Choose your clamp

Most of the LH size options are also available in a range of different clamps. If you like simplicity and price is a major factor, stick to the standard screw clamp. For those who can afford it, a lever release clamp makes the operation of the head a dream. A panning clamp is great for panorama shooting, but it does add weight and make the head more complicated, so avoid it if you're not someone for gadgets.

Choosing Leofoto

Plates and L-Brackets

Making sure that your camera or lens connects optimally to the tripod is critical. All tripod heads include one standard plate, however, If you have more than one camera or you need to mount a lens to a tripod, then you'll need extra plates.

MOUNTING A CAMERA

L-Bracket

Leofoto L-Brackets

MOUNTING A STANDARD LENS

Short Lens Plates

Leofoto Quick Release Plates

VERSATILITY

Hybrid Camera/Lens Plate

Leofoto NP-60

MOUNTING A LARGE LENS

Long Lens Plates

Leofoto Quick Release Plates

THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION

Super Tele Lens Support

Leofoto Quick Release Plates