Metering
Although metering is accessed through the menu only, which slows down selection, this may not be the first thing a beginner thinks about when taking photos. Rather than using a mixture of the spot, centreweighted and evaluative (matrix) metering modes available, the matrix metering will be relied upon. It is just as well, then, that matrix metering produces pleasing results in a variety of settings, so an entry-level photographer should largely leave the camera in this metering mode. My images from a shady forest area and of berries in bright overcast light are well exposed, and any slight variations I would usually implement with spot metering can be achieved in-camera using the exposure compensation.
As I have come to expect with evaluative metering, the matrix metering leans towards exposing for midtones in landscape scenes of high contrast, with the sky slightly underexposed. This is certainly the case on an overcast day when the foreground or landscape is not well lit. When I shot a landscape on a brighter day, by gradually altering the tilt of the lens I could change the dominant area of the scene from sky to landscape. There is a gradual, pleasing change in exposure to suit the composition, which demonstrates that evaluative metering can be relied upon, only truly shifting when the dominant area covers at least two-thirds of the frame.
