I recently got my first DSLR a few months ago (Canon T3). I've been out taking photos of the night sky before and even tried to catch some meteors with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, but they've all been just out of frame. I'm hoping to change that tonight. I just got a 50mm f/1.8 last week and did some night shots these past few days with it. I really liked the results considering I can go 1.8 on it and I can actually use live mode to focus on the brighter stars and planets with it.

My question is, when trying to capture Leonids, should I go with the 50mm 1.8 and try to bring in more light, or should I go with the 18-55mm, so I can get a wider view of the sky and increase my chances of catching something? I don't know how faint they would show up on 18-55 since I can only go to f/3.5. I plan on shooting at ISO 1600 and if I go with the 18-55mm, I'll go 25 seconds, or if I got with the 50mm, I can go 7 seconds. Everything seems to point to the 18-55mm to get the best results, but I just want to be sure they'll show up on it. Also, any tips on longer, 7 minute exposures to get star trails with them would be appreciated too.