In my garden.....

The Canon Powershot SX50HS looks a pretty decent and versatile camera, which is a very good start.

 The rotating knob on the top right is your main tool, called the Mode Dial, these are the settings on the dial:

Movie Symbol = Movie/video.

0 = Creative Filters, like setting scenes, but using various effects

SCN = To photograph using various scene modes, most likely Landscape, Portrait and many more

Sport Mode = Sets the camera for fast action, utilising wide apertures and fast shutter speeds

Movie Digest = create a movie of the days photos, like a slide show.

AUTO is exactly as it says, full auto.

P = Program Mode, which allows limited exposure control, usually for focus points

TV = Time Value, that is the shutter speed control

AV = Aperture Value, which sets the depth of field to enable crisp edges on landscapes, or blurred edges for macros or portraits

M = Full Manual, where you set the shutter, aperture and any other settings, like the ISO, to your personal choices

There is another rotary control on the back panel, with among other settings, the letters ISO, can be helpful, but at this stage, I’d leave it at AUTO.

If you’re confident enough to set the ISO to 100, which basically slows the camera exposure settings to allow more light through.

The best start for now is the rotary dial at the top right panel.

If you're confident enough, set the ISO to 100.

Set the Mode Dial on the top panel to TV, then using the rotating dial on the back panel, you can then dial the desired shutter speeds.

For the moon, to aim for a brighter sky, set TV to 1/100 sec or lower, however, you may lose some of the crispness of the moons craters.

Then, play around from there, raising and lowering the TV setting until you get a pleasing photo.

Don't be frightened to take many photos, so when you view them, you can note what settings were used to get the desired photo.

Even pro-photographers can take many images just to get the one desired image, and being digital, the only cost is time, so play around and enjoy exploring the different settings.

The TV setting can also be a bonus with action shots of birds in flight.

ISO to AUTO

Using the rotating dial on the back panel, you can then dial the desired shutter speeds.

TV 1/2000 for small birds

TV set to 1/1000 for larger birds

I hope that helps you to explore. The camera is robust, and you'll not damage the settings by experimentation of the many settings available.

REMEMBER, when you’ve finished, to set the ISO back to AUTO