1. if you click "quote reply" we know exactly who you are replying to.
2. you have to remember that the simpler the camera the less it has to offer and usually the lower end the sensor is, except a few fairly expensive high end pocket cameras, they have good sensors.
3. the mid range and higher end cameras all have Auto (the camera makes all decisions about exposure) and ether P or Scn modes where the camera has presets designed by pros who work for the camera company but you can change some of those presets as you learn how things work. But the simple ones seldom have the controls or they are through menus and very slow to operate.
4. most of us do not change settings etc for every shot, we have our choices preset depending on what we are photographing and concentrate on composure and deciding when to take a shot. Example: Birds around my feeders in good light: I set the shutter speed (slower for sitting birds, faster for flying birds or humming birds), I set the f-stop for my depth of field and light conditions, I personally put the ISO on Auto, have the AF set to what I need/want and then concentrate on zooming and composing.*

A compromise is a bridge/super zoom camera. They have layouts and controls similar to the interchangeable lens models but have a fixed lens with a mild to very long zoom range. They also get pretty good quality images. Look here: http://www.pcmag.com/roundup/348745/the-best-bridge-cameras About the cheapest good quality bridge cameras (they are a "bridge" between pocket point and shoots and the interchangeable lens models) are in the $500 to $700 range. They are bigger and heavier than the pocket cameras, but do more and are smaller and lighter than the DSLRs and other interchangeable lens models.

My wife uses a Canon SX50, the previous model to the SX60 on that pcmag review.

* Composition is one of the most important things you can learn to make your photos better and more interesting. I never thought about it but just did what felt right and happened to do well at it. When I started studying photography seriously I started to think about it and my shots improved. I taught my wife a few of the simpler rules and the first time we went out after that I heard her muttering (as she went over her results) "Why didn't someone tell me this stuff 40 years ago?" - Hmmm? I wonder who she was talking about? It had never occurred to me she didn't know the rules of composition.

1. if you click "quote reply" we know exactly who you are replying to.
2. you have to remember that the simpler the camera the less it has to offer and usually the lower end the sensor is, except a few fairly expensive high end pocket cameras, they have good sensors.
3. the mid range and higher end cameras all have Auto (the camera makes all decisions about exposure) and ether P or Scn modes where the camera has presets designed by pros who work for the camera company but you can change some of those presets as you learn how things work. But the simple ones seldom have the controls or they are through menus and very slow to operate.
4. most of us do not change settings etc for every shot, we have our choices preset depending on what we are photographing and concentrate on composure and deciding when to take a shot. Example: Birds around my feeders in good light: I set the shutter speed (slower for sitting birds, faster for flying birds or humming birds), I set the f-stop for my depth of field and light conditions, I personally put the ISO on Auto, have the AF set to what I need/want and then concentrate on zooming and composing.*

A compromise is a bridge/super zoom camera. They have layouts and controls similar to the interchangeable lens models but have a fixed lens with a mild to very long zoom range. They also get pretty good quality images. Look here: http://www.pcmag.com/roundup/348745/the-best-bridge-cameras About the cheapest good quality bridge cameras (they are a "bridge" between pocket point and shoots and the interchangeable lens models) are in the $500 to $700 range. They are bigger and heavier than the pocket cameras, but do more and are smaller and lighter than the DSLRs and other interchangeable lens models.

My wife uses a Canon SX50, the previous model to the SX60 on that pcmag review.

* Composition is one of the most important things you can learn to make your photos better and more interesting. I never thought about it but just did what felt right and happened to do well at it. When I started studying photography seriously I started to think about it and my shots improved. I taught my wife a few of the simpler rules and the first time we went out after that I heard her muttering (as she went over her results) "Why didn't someone tell me this stuff 40 years ago?" - Hmmm? I wonder who she was talking about? It had never occurred to me she didn't know the rules of composition.