hello, I suppose ya are trying to shoot star trails.
in general, they won't start to trail on a 50mm untill ya expose from 20-22 sec beyond
but even @30 sec, ya'll probably get short 2-3mm trails
so it means e shorter e focal length, e longer ya will have to expose for 'trails' and longer ones. & vice versa for telephoto.
there shld a formulae out there for calculating the exposure for trails with the focal length.
for star trails on a wide angle, generally, it takes hours.
aperture will determind the 'thickness' of the trail.
if light pollution is a problem, then consider shorter exp or smaller aperture.
of coz with telephoto, ya shld be getting trails within 10 mins and up.
but framing is up to ya play with.
yes, it is possible to get pinpoints of stars on a wide angle too!
enjoy
ps: no 'specialised' equipment. only more basic functions
ya will need B mode on ya shutter, a sturdy tripod and cable release.
a black card might be useful.