Hi Elsa,
Welcome to the Digicamhelp Q&A Board.
If you're shooting multimillon dollar homes, you have to get it right. You surely have a photographic challenge.
I have a nikon 5400 so I'm pretty familiar with the camera. Without seeing a sample photo (you're welcome to email one to me at
gail@digicamhelp.com), here's what I'd suggest. Mind you, there is more than one way to approach this, and others may come along with suggestions.
First, I highly recommend that you use a tripod, which would eliminate any possibilty of camera shake. Since the 5400 has an articulating LCD (ie. you can move it to various viewing positions), you can adjust it so it's easier to see.
Second, I would select spot metering, then lock focus and exposure on the outside area you can see through the window. That area should then be properly exposed.
However, the inside of the home will be darker, ie. underexposed. You can then adjust that in image editing software such as Photoshop, Adobe Elements or PaintShop Pro.
Sometimes photographers take two shots of a scene; in your case, first the outside, then a second shot with proper exposure on the inside. The two shots are merged via layers in an image editing program. If you don't know how to do this, let us know. I do think the first scenerio will work best and easiest.
In both of these examples, the flash is not used at all.
btw, there is a 5400 Blog at our site, which includes an article on personal experiences with this camera, written by David Chin. It is an excellent resource and you can find it near the bottom of the Blog page.
http://www.digicamhelp.com/nikon-coolpix-5400/nikon-coolpix-5400-tips.htmLet us know if any of this helps, or if you have further questions.
