It is essential that you understand some of the basics regarding the relationship between shutter speed and aperture. Putting the camera on full auto, whilst giving a god image most of the time will not help you much to understand this relationship. So I would prefer a beginner to forget Auto and at the very least use Program, but preferably Aperture priority or shutter priority. Manual mode where you control both is a useful method to learn quickly however as you can usually see in the viewfinder whatrs happening to the meter scale when you alter either.
There is a good site
HERE which will show you in the comfort of your room how these things work. I urge you to check it out
It seems to me you have made a big investment with your kit and you need to make the most of it, so Auto is a big NoNo
