Shopping for digital cameras can be pretty frustrating. With all the choices and recommendations out there, how do you know what you need? Well, Clark used Consumer Reports to buy one for his wife last year and it ended up being a great purchase. The pictures are great and the camera is very easy to use. Plus, it was less than $150. This year, Clark’s daughter wanted a digital camera for her birthday, so he bought her one as well. But this time he didn’t consult Consumer Reports. The camera turned out to be pretty poor. Luckily, the July issue of Consumer Reports is all about digital cameras. The “Best Buy” camera this year is more expensive than last year’s pick. It is the Cannon Powershot A520, which is in the Powershot family. It’s listed at $170, but Clark thinks you can buy it for less. The Sony Cybershot DSC also got a Best Buy, but it costs $220. The good news is that, of all the cameras rated, almost all had “excellent” picture quality. Not a single one earned less than a “very good” on picture quality. So, it’s almost impossible to get a bad digital camera these days.