Sounds distinctly iffy, cannot understand how anything would get on the mirror with the mount cap properly in place as it should be. A lens pen isn't the right tool for a mirror, and this should be pristine on a new body. Scratches? Definitely contact the seller and request a replacement or refund. If you are otherwise happy with it then negotiate a discount as it is not as described.

Trivial anounts add up and all those months and years count for naught if you stop. Probably of value if you photograph commercially but my post processing is pretty basic and I'm not interested in tricks, so to me it's not worth it.

Stop paying and you lose stuff, as happened to someone in my photo group. Better to get the one-off purchase of Lightroom or something similar and spend your subs on a decent magazine instead. With the money saved you can afford to replace/update every couple of years and not be held to ransom by a corporation. Always have a dedicated hard drive for photos as well as a cloud for the same reason.

Just checked, Lightroom 6 is on Amazon for less than £100 so that's 10 months of Photoshop.

SRB have a stand with good prices for filters, adaptors etc. Also the likes of Manfrotto have large displays with discounts, ditto for Canon and Epson printers. Lots of peripheral stands for insurance, magazines, books, framing, courses etc often with discounts. Sigma and Tamron offer discounted prices on lenses but don't stock Pentax mounts there. Last year when the K-1 was introduced Nikon had a special show deal on the D810 for the same price!

It is a good plan to go with something in mind and stick with that to start, even if it is just to handle and compare; for instance I was able to discuss backpacks and tripods with a Manfrotto ambassador who really knew from experience in the field what she was talking about and that isn't something you can get in a shop.

Another issue is that my discreet searches on google result in giveaway ads for all to see!

John's advice is right. Also don't sell yourself too cheap, to the cost of the print add your time in arranging it plus of course a value you put on the image. If this is a direction you see progressing then ultimately your costs will include that of your equipment and its eventual replacement, plus a profit. A formula could be 1/3 costs, 1/3 overheads, 1/3 profit. This all might sound a bit too much to consider at this stage but if your client comes back for more or recommends you to a friend then you don't want to find yourself chasing payments to cover your outlays. Done like this you won't be out of pocket if some prints are rejected. Maybe to minimise that risk how about a small 'sampler' print if the client wants a larger one, then take the payment for the main print? Also don't forget to retain the copyright (your right to reproduce or sell the image again).

On my desktop computer the adblocker works fine but not on my ipad. It just struck me it would be offputting to non members.

I am starting to get banner ads between topics as well as the stuff on the right ; as a result the forum itself is reduced to less than half the screen area. Oddly the banners disappear when I log in. However it is really annoying and is more excessive than on other sites and would put me off joining if not already a member. Bizarrely the ads are linked to my searches on google even though I use safari for this site, and I keep changing my preferences in google to non-specific ads.

If you put 'training' in the gallery search box you will get some great examples of aircraft in flight, although no camera model is recorded. as for macro, there are good lenses to pair with the K-1 including the favourite 100mm macro. There is also probably the best ring flash available for macro so worth checking that out. If you get the chance find a store with one you can handle. At the Photography Show I picked up the Canon and Nikon FF models to compare, but the K-1 just felt right and the controls were much more accessible. A unique setting is TAV with manual aperture and speed settings and automatic ISO, which is great for the sort of images you take, and high ISOs are no problem in RAW. For fully manual you can get an exposure reading and adjust speed, aperture and ISO using the controls without going into a menu and that saves a lot of time.

The sigma K-mount flange is much wider than that on the camera body, try putting a Pentax rear lens cap on to see how much is left exposed. The replacement mount is chamfered around the rim to reduce this difference, and it would be interesting to see if this is now the standard fitting on all new compatible lenses.