u/Beneficial-Meal535

I’m trying to get back into photography after being out of practice for the last 6ish years. I graduated with a degree in commercial photography in 2019 and honestly haven’t done much with it since then for various reasons. I currently have a canon 6d and have been trying to figure out which mirrorless camera to switch over to. I’m not looking to get one immediately, I’d probably wait at least until Black Friday deals but I’ll also look on B&H and KEH, that’s where I’ve gotten equipment from before. My problem is, most of the posts I see are for people who are beginners or very experienced. I’m in a weird spot because I have a decent amount of knowledge and experience with going to college for it, but since it’s such a rapidly developing field I feel like I don’t know where to start anymore. So far I’ve been looking at the Sony mirrorless cameras and the Fujifilm X-S20 has caught my eye too. I’ve always been a die hard canon user but I’m willing to get something different as long as it’s not Nikon. For some reason I just never liked those. I’d love to go back to trying to make a career out of it long term, but I’m also being realistic with how populated the field is now. Generally, I enjoy taking photos of landscapes the most, along with architecture and wildlife. I love the vibrant colors and the film look from the fujifilm. I also like that it seems to be a more compact/lightweight camera. Other than that, I honestly don’t know a ton about mirrorless cameras in general. I’ve started to do some research, but there’s just so much information out there. I don’t do much with video. I actually just got a doji action 4 for driving scenic routes, other than that I’m not too concerned about video capabilities. I would like a camera that does well with low light since I want to get into some night sky pictures as well. Hopefully I’ll get to plan a trip to see the northern lights soon. It would be nice to have something lighter weight - I have a good amount of neck and back pain pretty consistently.
Also, bonus if you can refer to any free or cheap online refresher courses.
Budget wise I’d like to stay around 2-3K for a body and a good lens but willing to go up, would just require a bit more savings time which I’m fine with.

I’ve decided somewhat last minute to plan a road trip to the upper Peninsula in MI for the second weekend in October (8th-12th). I’m from central IL so it will be about an 8 hr drive to my starting point. It’s my first time doing a solo trip and I’ve never been to Michigan but honestly the only thing I’m worried about is encountering wildlife. I believe it’ll be the end of rut season and bears will be preparing to hibernate. I’ll be staying in hotels but also wondering if regular tennis shoes will work or if I need to get some real hiking shoes. Also wanting some recommendations for trails that are safe to do solo / for beginners / not extremely long. I majored in photography and part of the purpose of this trip is to kick start getting back into it. The other purpose is to instill my confidence in being independent.
My plans so far are:
Stay in Wakefield Thursday/Friday, check out Saturday morning
The places I want to visit in that area are Little Girls Point, Porcupine Mountains / Lake of the clouds, Ottawa National forest
Saturday Morning drive to Munsing. I want to go to Pictured Rocks and potentially Hiawatha National Forest if there’s time (when it comes to Pictured Rocks, are there other ways to get to the main areas that you typically see in photos other than the 10 mile trail?) this is really the only area that I’m a bit nervous about exploring on my own.
Sunday I want to go to Mackinac island. I’d be getting a hotel about 30 min from the Ferry.
Then I’d be driving home on Monday so there wouldn’t really be much time for anything that day. I am considering also taking Tuesday off work for a bit more time but I think I’d rather not.
Just looking for any tips or advice!