What lighting for Macro

Hi guys
You were all so helpful last time I thought I would do a bit of brain picking again. It appears to me that to light a macro subject, that needs lighting, there are two options, (1) twin flashes from the hot shoe and (2) a ring flash for macro.
If this is the case then which is preferable. I think that I will be shooting insects etc in plants and bushes and just may need a bit of light. I also expect to be using my Sigma 105 though I have taken on board your previous comments and am on the hunt for a 50mm lens.
If it a case of number (1) being preferred do you make up the kits ad hoc
and if so some suggestions on kit to use would be of a real help.
Also can I use the x sync from the camera to fire off the lights as you would do in a studio. So many questions and so much to learn. HELP

This is a huge topic and one that has many determining factors but to boil it down to one very important one:

If you're going to be wandering around in the field then a ring flash is much more convenient and wieldy than a pair of regular flashes.

If you're going to be doing most of your shooting in a controlled environment (like a studio) then twin flashes will give you greater power and flexibility to devise and tweak different lighting set ups.

As a ring flash like the new AF160 costs about the same as a pair of regular AF360's then money isn't neccessarily a factor, so think more about how you'll use your macro set up and go from there.

what have you got to start with?
I'd recommend if you got one af360 you stick a styrofoam cup on it, or a bounce card and use it an a reflector while you start out.... off camera of course, off shoe adaptors and cord or wireless
then when you get good at it, decide what you need from there, based on the results you were getting...

I've been down this path. A very good diffuser as Don advocates will work for many situations for insects in the field. However, there will be times when this really doesn't work. For this reason I've gone down the route of the AF160FC ringflash and haven't looked back. It's is extremely convenient and easy to use compared to off-camera flash setups for this type of photography.

See this topic. I now use an AF160FC which is much easier in every way.

If you want decent DOF you'll need more than "a bit" of light to use smaller apertures.