I want to start doing some general macro work (little bugs, worms,
seeds, just what ever) with my 20D. Right now my photography is
general but mostly wild life and nature. I would like to stay with
all Canon gear but I would use other gear.
So what kind of gear do I need to start doing macro?
I know this sounds like I am trying to dodge your question, but you really need to define what you mean by macro.
It is possible to do 1:1 with little bugs and seads, but unless you are talking about a limited selection of worms you may not be able to do 1:1 on worms. And "just what ever" is really a broad description.
IMHO it is much easier to select what you need if you have a clear idea of what you want to do with it.
To start off with a 20d means a 1.6 crop factor and some AF and AE limitations with TCs if your fstop goes to high.
The crop factor is important in determining working distance and the AF/AE stuff may not be all that important (since you will probably be shooting MF and ME) but what you see in the viewfinder may be dim with a very slow lens.
I like the Sigma 150/2.8 because it has a good working distance, is fast enough to use a TC, and price wise is good bang for the buck. For things like butterflys, wasps, dragonflies, and the like the working distance is really nice.
I also like the Sigma 50mm/2.8 (even with no HSM) but I use this for imaging small computer parts I fabricate. They are two very different lens that serve different purposes.
I use a Sigma EF500 Super flash with the 150 and a Samigon ring light with the 50. The flash provides more dramatic lighting for insects, while the ring light provides flatter light for inanimate objects. Again both have their uses, and they compliment each other instead of competing with each other.
In the field shooting bugs and the like I often take two or three of those foldup wire and fabric sun screens you put behind the windshied of your car. They serve as light reflectors, can provide a solid background instead of a distracting background, can serve as a wind break, and when velcroed together can also serve as a light box.
When the foot or so working distance the 150 (sometimes with a 1.4 TC) provides is too short I use some or all of the Kenko tubes on my 400/5.6 for a working distance of three feet or so. I often shoot this setup using a Wimberely Sidekick, especially for flying Dragonflies.
I also use a Canon 500D CU filter on my 70-200, sometimes with a 1.4 TC.
Quite frankly I could take 8X10s from all these lens combinations and put them on a stack on a table and feel confident no one could reliabily ID which image came from which lens, with or without a TC.
If you try and narrow which type of macro images you want to capture, and what lighting conditions you will be imaging under you may have a much easier time selecting your gear.
I would recomend a Sigma 150 or the Canon 180 macro and a good flash as the most versatile setup to start off with.
