At Cinegear in Los Angeles Zacuto were showing a new battery system called the Gripper. Made by UK firm Hawkwoods, it is a compact rod-based alternative to the conventional V-lock and Anton Bauer style batteries.
![v mount battery solution gripper](https://www.newsshooter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/c300mkii-recoil-399x600.jpg)
The batteries are designed to keep the weight low on your rig, meaning that a Gripper equipped rig will have a lower centre of gravity than most alternatives. The batteries work on many different makers’ rigs, not just Zacuto’s. Grippers are also significantly cheaper than some other main brand batteries.
![The 75 W/h Gripper simply slides onto your rods.](https://www.newsshooter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/gr-75-1-600x600.jpg)
The Grippers are rated at 14.4V and come in two different capacities, 75W/h and a 100W/h. Both have twin, industry standard D-tap power connections. You then add the appropriate power adapter cable for your camera. Its also good for powering EVFs and other accessories too.
![The GC-4 multi D-tap adapter sits on your rails](https://www.newsshooter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Zacuto-1-600x338.jpg)
If you need more than two power taps then the GC-2 and GC-4 multi-output adapters can be added to the battery. These have a unique design that simply clips onto your rails and are very reasonably priced. To charge the batteries you need the GR-1C Gripper battery charger. This is super lightweight but only charges one battery at a time. According to Zacuto a twin version is in the works.
![The Gripper battery charger.](https://www.newsshooter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/gr-1c-600x600.jpg)
I look forward to reviewing these batteries in full shortly. So far the only downside I can see is that they do require rails for optimal mounting to rigs. Using them on a lot of lighting gear that is already configured for V-lock or A/B isn’t going to be that easy. I’ll report back when I’ve used them for a while.
![The Sony FS7 equipped with Gripper battery](https://www.newsshooter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/fs7-recoil-600x600.jpg)
For more details check out the Zacuto website.
![The battery can also be used to power mirrorless systems and DSLRs.](https://www.newsshooter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dslr-recoil-1-600x600.jpg)
Full disclosure: This site is an affiliate of Zacuto.