Auto mode is completely automatic for all the settings of the camera. All you need to do is point the camera at your subject and zoom to where you want and press the button to take the picture. The SX500 will do a decent job of getting the photo for you, but there will be times when the camera just won't use the right setting, or take a long time to set the right scene. You can also use the scene modes and choose the one closest to the conditions that you are in.
My suggestion to you would be to learn how to use the other features of the camera to get the most out of the camera. The manual modes (Av, Tv, and M) will allow you to get the shot the way you want it to come out. There are plenty of youtube videos out there to learn from and it's really not all that hard to learn.
Steve M.
