Nikon 35mm f/1.8G lens for Milky Way

james012

Hi, I'm new to owning a dslr with the d3200 being my first.
The kit lens works good but I'm really interested in shooting the Milky Way and night sky. Found a slightly used Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX lens close by for a good price. I'm confused still though on the mm vs the f rating. From what I've been gathering a short focal length plus a low aperture such as f/1.8 should be good for night shots?

bruto

The large (low) aperture is certainly an asset, but you might find the focal length a bit narrow for big sky shots. Before deciding, take your kit lens and set the zoom at 35mm (it's marked) and see how it suits you. 35mm on a DX format is normal, approximately equivalent in field of view to 50mm on an FX or 35mm format.

Of course, the ideal very wide very fast lens that would do the Milky Way best is going to be expensive.

If I were in your position, and if the deal on the 35mm is good, I'd consider getting it anyway because it's really nice to have a fast normal lens. If you're really determined to do astrophotography, I think you'll find it's not as wide as you'd like.