John, when I bought my latest digital, I wanted a Nikon. I looked and looked. I found that most Nikon camera owners had lenses other than Nikon which made no sense to me. I looked a the price of lenses, and saw how high the Nikon lenses were. So I started backwards and looked for the lenses I wanted, and then backed into the camera. I wanted a reasonable 2.8, 70-200, AF, IS, and selected a Canon(not cheap by any means). Then the Canon 20d. I bought the camera and lenses from Roberts where I asked them if they would match B&H prices, They did better, and I didn't pay state tax, and s&i was only about $50. The recent problems I had with my camera were probably self inflicted by putting the CF card in backwards. I very satified with the quality of the lens. I could always use a longer lens but I love the versatility and speed of the Canon lens.
So in summary, start with the lens, that you want, need, and can afford. At this point in my photography career, I didn't want to settle.
Bob