Your Realistic 3-5 Lens Collection

2 week revival....LOL
Love to add the 24-105L

Took myself at my word and added the 17-55 IS last week.

Will there be any end to it ?

I don't know how much point there is to add yet another comment for this marathon, but ...

3 lens setup for crop camera:
17-55/2.8 IS + 70-200/2.8L IS + 100/2.8 USM Macro

5 lens setup for crop camera:
10-22/3.5-4.5 + 24-105/4L IS + 70-200/2.8L IS + 35/1.4L + 100/2.8 USM Macro

Common for both suggestions: 70-200/2.8L IS and 100/2.8 USM Macro.
35/1.4L is bit question mark. Legendary lens and good focal lenght in crop cameras for general photography, but its price, weight and physical size makes one wonder if its worth it, if you will also have 24-105/4L IS in your collection ...

Not worth it for a 1.6 crop camera, as Sigma is offering the 30/1.4 . . .

Depends ... if you want to buy it once and be happy about it, then 35/1.4L might be safer choice, because I've read/heard (*) enough horror stories about Sigma's national importer (who is also handling repairs) that I don't normally consider Sigma as an option even though they have some nice lenses. Sigma's 30/1.4 has reputation that some of them might need calibration since there have been reports that have had problems in focusing to infinity.
Then again with 35/1.4L's price (1345EUR), you can buy three 30/1.4's (419EUR/lens), so you can afford to buy and sell those until you get one that satisfies your requirements.

(*) I tried to do some searching, but couldn't find the stories that I was looking for. However one friend of mine had to show custom papers, etc. to prove that his Sigma lens had been imported according to all laws etc., before importer was willing to do warranty repairs. Then there are also all those stories about how Sigma's lenses have needed rechipping so that they would work with new camera models.

Signature + Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS.

if you could be happy about spending 4x the price to avoid a very fine lens because of rumors that your friend's friend read on the internet.

300 f2.8L IS
400 f2.8L IS
500 f4L IS
600 f4L IS
1200 f4L IS

is there any longer?

canon 17-40
canon 50/ 1.4
sigma 70-200 2.8

If I'm lucky, < $1500 for everything

I am not lucky because i have around $16000 but i can't spend more than $3000 monthly, only this month i will order in about $3700, but i don't think next month i can pay more (saving for 1DsMK2 from next month).

5 Lens All Canon:

24-70
70-200 2.8 IS
100-400
85 1.8
50 1.4

Realistically, eh? I guess I won't make this a wish list of L glass.

Realistically...

EF-S 10-22mm USM
EF-S 17-85mm IS USM
EF 50mm f/1.8
EF 70-300mm IS USM -or- EF 70-200mm F4L + 2x TC

Right now I have:

18-55mm
75-300mm III USM
85mm F/1.8 (about to purchase)

If money was no object

17-85mm
100-400mmL
85mmL F/1.2
600mmL
2x extender

And I'd probably be happy.... But cars is another hobby of mine and I'm poor as is, so I have to make compromises

i only need 3 lenses.

tammy 17-50
Canon 50 1.8
Canon 70-200 F4L

once i get the 70-200 i believe i will be set.

hmmmm
EFS 10-22 (instead of 17-40 if i could only have one of the two)
24-105 IS L
28 1.8 (instead of 50 if i could only have one of the two)
70-200 2.8 IS L
300 2.8 IS L