Why on earth would you doubt the validity of the test shots? lol

The k3 is looking great in comparison to the d600. They should have opened the lens up a stop or two to make the dof more equal ;P

That fisheye lens attracts me to the Q system, and you've made great use of it here Ken. I also love statuesque shot no. 2!

Try a bit of light from behind (maybe a white light) to pick up the outline too?

Interesting technique. It would have been nice to pick out the neck of the bottle and perhaps use a little more light overall. What was the thinking behind the crop, and the central placement of the bottle? I would have gone with a standard 3:2 crop and placed the bottle to one side.

They don't really work for me (especially the last one). They don't look deliberately high key, so much as accidentally 'burned out' or overexposed, IMHO. No. 3 is closest to a good result I think.

You will definitely see an improvement in image quality and resolution, but I would skip straight to the cameras with the 16MP sensor - K5, K30 or K50/K500. Much better at high ISO! ;P

[Edit- the focus peaking in live-view on the K30/K50/K500 would also be useful if you are using old manual primes].

The 28 vs 35mm thing is a matter of personal shooting preference.

Of course so is the colour, but I would have thought if you want discreet, there's the black one. Something a bit less sludgey would have been nicer as a special edition... what about silver, or cherry red? Hot pink? Or a proper military-looking green / khaki / gunmetal (without the nasty black 'ebony' grip?)

Metallic green is just yeuch, and reminds me of a Nissan Primera I used to own (the 'sludge-mobile').

Interesting. I've never noticed this behaviour, but then in LV MF mode I tend to be using M or K glass (which are always wide open until the shutter press).

Try looking on your debit card ;P

She?

Great shot! Would make a great internet meme, if anyone can think of a lul-worthy caption (shouldn't be hard)...