Getting back

Call this my introduction. I've been using cameras since I was eight years old and had a Kodak box camera that used 220 film. Moved on to a Nikkormat 35mm, then to a Minolta, then to Nikons. First an FM2, then an F3, and finally to a D7000.

My Granddaughter took a course in photography and earned high praise from her professors so the D7000 went to her (and she won't give it back!). I figured a pocket camera would be good enough - and it has been. I've captured some great images with them, but now that I'm printing and framing them for hanging on the walls, I wish I had a better tool.

It's like I'm entering a universe that's alien to me; so much has changed in a short time.

I'm looking at mirrorless cameras because I need to depend heavily on a camera's ability to focus and it seems mirrorless cameras in my target category - advanced amateur - have superior auto focus capabilities.

(I could be wrong. Technology has always been quick to turn my head.)

So... I have a question. If you have skills in composition, exposure, post-processing (I'm a whiz with Lightroom and Photoshop) and can capture a good image, but are new to modern digital cameras, with a budget that can handle a $2,000-$2,500 camera (body only) - and you're passion is for candid, macro and landscape photography - where might you start?

Oh, and I expect this will be the last camera I buy - I'm at that age where I expect it'll outlive me if I don't drop it in the sea.

I'm not curious about the lenses. I understand lenses good enough to muddle through as I build a kit. I'm in the dark about how to choose the right camera (and enter into the right system) for my use and could use and appreciate a few suggestions, please.