It breaks my heart to see other photographers fighting their gear. Every second they spend adjusting the camera settings to get the perfect exposure, is a second they are not paying attention.
I'm a huge fan of automatic modes (I use either Program or Aperture). I use autofocus, and I don't even know what I have the custom buttons set up to do.
My camera does a pretty good job most of the time, and when it doesn't, it's easy to correct in post.
This gives me the freedom to focus on what really matters: making the image.
Let your camera do its thing, and focus on doing your part. Spend less time changing the settings, and more time moving around.