spitztoon

Jason,

While the 50/1.4 is a great, fast lens... keep in mind the 1.5x "crop" factor that you get with the small digital sensor. The 50mm on the 350D will shoot like a 75mm on a film camera. You might want to think about the 28mm instead... you'll still get a fast lens with good optics, but it'll perform closer to how a 50mm does on a film SLR.

I agree with Danny. The optics are fine on the 18-55mm, plus it's small and light. My only gripe is the tiny manual focus ring... but that shouldn't be much on an issue if you're shooting mostly landscapes. Canon also makes 24-85mm and 28-105mm lenses with better manual focus rings, but you lose out on the wide angle (because of the 1.5X crop factor)... and they're a bit more expensive at $220 or so.

 

I've been happy with my 350D so far. The veiwfinder is on the small side, but again it's not bad for landscapes where you can compose the image at a small aperture without worrying about minute focusing details.

Given a week, I would lean toward Mexico. The warmer Mexican climate will be more predictable than the Peruvian Andeas in Spring. Although differing weather can be great for narrative photography, it can also be an annoyance. Don't give up on Peru, though! It's got several distinct regions, all great photo ops. Mountains in the east, rainforest to the north, coastline to the west, and one of the world's driest deserts in the south... I spent a month there a few years ago, and never left the desert! Have fun! I can't wait to see what you post.