How to improve X-E1

View from Cominan lookout | Fuji X-E1 & XF18-55mm

Both pictures were taken at Green Mountain section of Lamington national park. In such conditions any modern camera will produce acceptable results. In some sense, the camera does not matter much unless someone has specific requirements. Taking pictures of birds in flight is a challenging task with certain requirements for an equipment. But if I put the camera on tripod the only thing I need to worry is a presence of the mirror lock-up in a DSLR because virtually all cameras have timers.

If the camera does not matter, why I bought the X-E1 instead of let say Olympus PEN E-PL5? Oly E-PL5 is smaller, with more lenses available right now. Even with an external viewfinder it costs less than the Fuji. The Oly will take the same pictures, maybe slightly shifted to warmer tones but this can be easily corrected. Also m4/3 has slightly bigger depth of field, which is good for landscapes.  Or why I not even considered Sony NEX6? It is very capable camera with APS-C sensor. It got a very positive response from photographers.

Probably I just like the X-E1. So far I am not disappointed. However, I still cannot get used to the aperture ring near the camera body and very often I try to change the aperture with the rear dial. After all, it is my first digital camera with the "proper" aperture ring. Maybe in the future Fujifilm will copy Samsung NX cameras or Olympus XZ-2 and change the "aperture" ring into multifunctional device. Right now the camera has some inactive controls, e.g. rear dial in the Aperture priority mode apparently does nothing. [Not exactly: when I dial it, it drives me nuts because nothing happens.] My ideal combination would be the following: use the rear dial to change aperture and assign iso to the "aperture" ring. Image: set up the aperture with the thumb, if the shutter speed is low, rotate the "aperture" ring and change iso to get the  desired speed. No need to press Fn button to activate iso menu. What the point to have "non assigned" buttons or dials on a camera?

Unfortunately, I don't have a chance to try different cameras for a week or two, and I am not sure if couple weeks would be sufficient to make a choice. It is possible to read reviews but reviews do not tell how I would handle the camera or whether I can adapt to it.

Bird's Nest fern, Asplenium australasicum | Fuji X-E1 & XF18-55mm