What's a better frame rate for a camera?

30, 25, or 15 frames per second.

I would assume 30, but I don't know much about cameras.

Also, does anyone know if there's a way to upgrade the RAM in a camera? I love my camera (it's a Minoko) and it takes really good quality pictures and is small (and was cheap when I bought it which was important) but now I have some extra money and it takes like 5 seconds between pictures (doesn't really help getting "the perfect shot" if you miss it and can't take another picture)

Yes, the higher the number, the faster it can take photos in succession, but, you will also find cameras with high frame rates are also quite expensive. You really do not need a very high frame rate unless you are a professional sports photographer for fast moving subjects.

I know of no way to increase the RAM in your camera, it is just a built in buffer that actually retains the photo while it is being written to the memory card.

Sounds like it is time for a better camera if yours is holding you back.

steve

Even when not shooting action sports, frame rate can be important. Flowing, moving poses by a model comes to mind. You shoot in rapid succession to catch that perfect moment.

In general, though, a DSLR with a frame rate of at least 3-5 fps is sufficient for most people. At that rate you can take a succession of photos pretty quickly if you are taking a shot, releasing the shutter button and then shooting again.

Also, are you using flash? Wait time can also be affected by flash recycle rates. Even this can be affected by remaining battery life in the flash if it is external.

These are video frame rates at low resolution, much too low to print properly. DSLR's have a lot less than this, less than 10 frames per second and that would be a really high end professional camera, the new Nikon D3 only manages 9 fps. Most sports photographers 'wait for the moment' and don't rely on fast frame rates which rarely works.

25 fps is 'real time' for video and matches your televisions frame rate.

Chris