The digital camera we bought on the birth of our son nearly six years ago is giving out on us. The flash makes an ominous crack! whenever we take a shot — though I’m sure I can’t blame that for the fact that my spouse shuts her eyes the very instant I click the button to shoot a picture with her in it. So I’ll be doing a little shopping around to find our the next camera. In the course of my initial research, I came across a resource on PriceGrabber.com that I wanted to share with you: A “How-To-Buy Guide” for cameras.

For example, I didn’t know there were two types of digital cameras — point and shoot (the kind I currently own) and digital SLRs (the kind pros use because they can switch out lenses).

Also, according to the guide, a five-megapixel camera will probably be fine for most of my needs. Here, I was fantasizing that I’d be getting a 10-megapixel or greater device. It even suggests going with a 2- or 3-megapixel camera if all you’re going to do is post photos to the web. As the guide explains, “Paying for pixels you don’t need is a waste of money.”

There’s plenty of other advice in this brief guide too, touching on what to look for in a viewfinder, how to choose the right lens for a point-and-shoot and the advantage of buying a camera that works with the same memory cards you already have or that will fit into other flash devices you own.

I won’t even touch on some of the newer features that have cropped up in the latest generation of cameras. Go to the guide to read up on those.

If you’re shopping for a GPS, an MP3 player or a TV, you’ll find guides for those too.

Now, if only I could figure out what camera has an anti-blink device , I’d be set.