Like I said before, when I started my hobby in 1992, I compared all relevant AF-SLR systems and decided for a Canon EOS 100/Elan. Later I expanded the EOS-System until 1999, when almost the whole equipment had been stolen.

My first lens has been the EF 70-210mm 1:3.5-4.5 USM. That pleased me very much, but soon I missed a wide-angle. So, I bought the next lens, the EF 28-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 USM, which I used very often until the end. It's not the best lens you can get, but for a zoom lens it's worth the money. The closest focus distance is 0.5m.

Here are short informations about my ex-lenses in chronological order of buying:

TOP	This is a real good standard zoom lens. It's compact, has a nice zoom range and it's optical performance is for many issues more than sufficient. Like many zoom lenses, it shows visible distorsions at both ends of the zoom range - very good visible in reproductions and architectural pictures. The maximum aperture could be bigger, but in most cases it's enough. In my opinion it is worth the money and covers a great range of applications.
TOP	This was my first prime lens. I wanted to have a short tele for portraiture with a big max. aperture. I took the 100 mm, because my father's 85 mm was too short sometimes. It is no "L" lens, but it's performance is outstanding! Until today it is still my sharpest lens! The distorsions are very small and even with max. aperture it is visible sharper than the 28-105.
TOP	After a while, the max. aperture of my 70-210 zoom didn't satisfy me anymore. The second reason was, that I used it almost always at 210 mm. So, I sold it and bought a 200mm 1:2.8 L USM. The optical and mechanical quality of the prime is magnificently better than the zoom lens. And it is compatible with the Canon teleconverters. This has been a very important reason for me, because even the 200 mm haven't been enough for photographing animals. For this lens, you can get a tripod collar, which I strongly recommend. The change from landscape to portrait format is (on the tripod) many times faster, than without it. Additionally, the lens is better balanced, when using the tripod collar - especially in combination with the teleconverter. In the meanwhile I sold it again, because I got the 70-200/2.8L USM and the 300/4.0L USM.
TOP	The next step after the 200/2.8L USM was the 2x teleconverter. To reach the supertele range, it offers a cheap (OK, not really cheap...) possibility. The 200mm 1:2.8 becomes a relatively light and compact 400mm 1:5.6. The AF is still working, but definitly a little bit slower. The optical performance is good enough, that the total performance is still OK. If you get unsharp results, it's more because of shivering, than because of the converter. You should use sufficient short shutter times and/or use a tripod. In many cases a monopod is sufficient as well. Also the mirror lock-up is very useful.
TOP	For a while, I was a fan of tele lenses. But some day, I discovered the possibilities of wide angle lenses. The 28 mm of my zoom wasn't enough for me anymore and I bought the EF 20mm 1:2.8L USM. Especially for landscape photos, you have fantastic possibilities. You can show the foreground very big and at the same time, show very much background on the picture. For architectural photography, it's very important to hold the camera in a way (straight), that the buildings doesn't look like falling down (I don't know the right word in english). Or you make an extremly perspective by holding the camera straight upwards. Anyway, it's very important, that you don't have any unwanted things (a tin, a piece of garbage, your own shadow, etc.) on your picture. This can happen very easily, because they appear very small in the finder.
TOP	For many years, I didn't like the 'normal' focal length of 50mm . But also this focal length has some advantages. First, the optical quality is very good (sharpness, distortion, brilliance, etc.) and second, it is small, light-weight, has a big max. aperture and is very cheap. It is good for making reproductions and for using with extention rings or bellows. With a little bit practicing you will find situations, where 50 mm is exactly the right focal length as well.
TOP	It took a while, but after some years I could buy this dream lens and it's really worth every penny. It is big, heavy, highly visible, very expensive AND very good - optically and mechanically. The tripod collar is strongly build and also this lens is compatible with the Canon teleconverters. With that, you get a 100-280 1:4.0 or a 140-400 1:5.6 with still working AF. By the way: unfortunately, the most cheap telezooms are best at the short end. But not this one - it has it's best optical performance at the long end. It is not very flare resistant, but the inclusive protection is very effective. The quality is on the same level as the 200mm prime, so I sold the prime.
TOP	When I bought the 70-200, I thought that it would be a good addition, to have the EF 1,4x teleconverter. So, I bought it as well. It was a very good choose, because the quality is so high, that on the picture you don't see at all, if the 1,4x converter has been used or not. The only thing is, that it costs one stop. It is small and light and extends your possibilities without a lack of quality. It's very useful for makro photography too. Together extension rings you can use it with every lens - wether it's designed for the converter or not.
TOP	Since I had the 70-200, I didn't need the 200/2.8 and a comparison showed a very similar performance of the zoom and the 200mm prime. Because of that, I decided to sell the 200mm and rather to extend my tele range with a 300mm lens. That also gives me the same tele range without converters or with less convertes, than before. Even the optical and the mechanical performance is very high. The build-in hood is long enough and very effective. The only thing is the tripod collar - it could be a little bit more stable, like the one of the 70-200 1:2.8

You can get more informations in the Canon Camera museum in the EF area.

In 1997 I bought my second body, an used EOS 1N HS.
When I took this camera in my hand for the very first time, I fall totally in love with this shape - it fitted perfectly in my hand! Additionally it has a lot of features, that I love:

• good heavy weight, ca. 1,5 kg
• heavy duty
• easy to use in manual metering mode
• real spot metering
• fast AF
• up to 6 fps
• short black out until mirror returns
• full 100% finder
• light for the LCD
• flashsync @ 1/250 s
• shutter for the finder
• build in, adjustable eye correction
• stop down button

At least I think I did a very good decision with taking the Canon EOS system. I would recommend it at every time.

You can get almost every lens you need, including tilt/shift, makro and image stabalizer (IS) lenses.
The primes are all very good or outstanding - especially the "L" lenses. They are expensive, but really worth the money. Anyhow, not everyone can or want to efford them.