I'm sure someone has covered this but I'm brand new here. I'd really like to try my hand at photographing the Milky Way with my 3200. I'm told a larger format sensor would be better, but would a short, fast lens get me there?
Hi Mark - welcome!
I don't see why you couldn't do astrophotography with your D3200. There will be some limitations over more feature-rich models, but that 24.2 MP coupled to a decent lens should get you some nice shots nonetheless. I assume you've watched any of the many online video tutorials, so you know some of the basics like using a tripod, remote shutter release, etc.
Nikon USA has a good intro to photographing the night sky at:
https://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/microsite/astrophotography/getstarted/camera/index.html
Midway down the page you can see a pic of the Milky Way taken with a D5500, which has the same sensor as yours. After that, under their recommended cameras, the first one listed as being good for beginners is the D3300 - essentially your exact camera.
So yeah, I think you should be able to get some fine pictures with your setup. An FX camera might indeed be better, but that doesn't mean a DX can't produce some great results (from what I've read).
But if I were you, I'd start a new thread here asking others with more experience than me this same question. I think your post is getting lost by being stuck on the end of a thread on a different topic.
All the best, and welcome again!