Question:

DSLR battery grips.?

Can you use a battery grip with just one battery pack or do you actually need 2?

Answer:

You can use grips with only one battery.
What does the manual say? Have you tried using the battery grip with just one battery pack? If yes, why do you think it didn't work?
Your main question has been answered by the other contributors so lets move on to your next question, Which battery grip should I buy? or Do I really need to buy the OEM battery grip? Check out this comparison between battery grips for the Canon 5DMarkIII: pietrzyk.us/canon-5d-mark-iii-battery-grip-study/ MIke
Usually they will function with just a single battery, however functionality may vary between models and brands. Certainly the battery grip for my Sony DSLR-A700 will work with only a single battery in the grip, if you load two up, it will use first one then the other.
Like the others say, it depends on the brand. Mine (Canon) have always worked with one, but you might as well have another battery so it extends the shooting time - which is the main purpose of having a battery grip. And you can do portrait shots with it, too. The firing button is on the side, as well, on most of these things.

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