One of the biggest choices is which ISO to choose. ISO stands for International Standards Organization and is a number given to a film that reflects its sensitivity to light. Generally film is available in ISO's of 25 to 3200 with most people using either 100, 200 or 400. The higher the number the less light you need to take a photo. The lower the ISO the more vibrant and saturated the colour reproduction is. So if you are taking pictures of brightly coloured flowers on a sunny day, try 100 speed films. On the other hand if you are taking pictures of your child's Christmas concert in the school gym, try 400.

Every manufacturer bases their film on different colours of the spectrum. This means that colour is a little more prominent than the others. Reds and oranges are warm colours giving you that warm and fuzzy feeling, greens offer lush vegetation, and blues are usually considered cold technical colours. Again, there is not one right choice; it is simply what you prefer and what type of pictures you are taking. If you have trouble remembering what colour a film is based on, look at the box. Film is usually packaged in colours similar to it's base colour.

Disregarding TV ads and marketing promotions can open up many more choices for you. After all marketing is just that. Everyone has to tell you they are the best. One example is Kodak Max. Their ads lead you to believe that this is the best film they have when in fact it is just a higher speed (ISO 800) regular consumer film. The best film they make for the amateur market is the Royal Gold series.

Here is a general overview of each of the four main film manufacturers and what they offer:

AGFA is one of the oldest film manufacturers around. Based in Holland, Agfa film is very well respected in Europe and is gaining popularity in North America. Agfa makes all its film in one factory, so quality should be consistent worldwide. Private label film that you buy in your local camera, drug or grocery store is most often Agfa. Look for 'Made in the EC' printed on the box. Agfa film is based on reds.

FUJI has introduced a twist in film manufacturing. They call it Reala technology. You find it marked on boxed '4th layer'. Basically most films have 3 layers of emulsion, Fuji adds a fourth. This provides better colour reproduction in mixed lighting situations and yes it does work. Give it a try in their 'Superia' films. Fuji film is based on greens.

KODAK is the marketing king. Tons of hype, lots of products. Kodak is the only manufacturer I know of that makes 3 levels of consumer film (Gold, Max and Royal Gold). Most films are based on oranges.

Konica is the film I know least about. Being based on blues I find the film cold with flesh tones that I don't find attractive. To be fair, I have not tried it recently. On the positive side it is inexpensive and some people swear by it.

One thing to keep in mind when trying out film, get them all processed at the same place. Labs use different ways to colour correct your photos, which produce different coloured prints (i.e.: pink sunsets that are red, etc).

Have fun trying out the films. It can be surprising how different they can be. Once you find what you like, stick to it. But remember technology changes so don't be afraid to try different ones every now and then.