I think the tubes (I use 70$ Meiko set with wiring, works fine) + 135L produce a good enough "macro lens" if you only need this occasionally. Here is one test shot I made with hand-held camera and DIY macro flash modifier:
IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/bC2k4R
Testing Canon135L lens with AF extension tubes
by
syamastro
, on Flickr
It is shot at f/16, so diffraction is fairly obvious, but otherwise I'd say "good enough" for occasional use.
With 135L + tubes you get a decent working distance, good enough for live creatures. Using 50mm + tubes gives you more magnification (but not sure if more resolution - you are just magnifying the diffraction effects), but much shorter working distance, probably too short for bugs.
This is how this hand-held macro system looks like: