You're bound to encounter some unusual outdoor lighting situations, such as those found on foggy days or on the back porch during a rainstorm. In such situations, your best friend is an exposure meter or the automatic setting in the DC4800. The auto-exposure feature works well in such situations because it is programmed to recognize the signals of the contrast differences and bias the exposure for the important subject area. You must be careful not to aim the lens directly into a bright light, such as a stray spotlight or even a reading lamp. If you do, the meter will underexpose the subject.
Museums have fascinating displays that offer superb opportunities for existing-light photographs.
When the scene and displayed objects are lighted evenly, expose according to an overall meter reading by selecting the Multi-Spot metering. Otherwise, get as close as possible to the subject to make your reading. In this mode you select the aperture on top of the DC4800 and the camera automatically picks a shutter speed for the correct exposure. Aperture priority is ideal if you want to control depth of field. By choosing a small aperture for extensive depth of field or a large one for selective focus, you get the benefits of auto-exposure while being able to manipulate scene sharpness.