A couple more.

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Luminar AI is very easy to use and not too expensive. It can do a lot of regular processing/adjustments but it is especially good at sky replacement and for portrait shots. You can buy additional sky-packs or build up a library of your own skies to insert. It will adjust the the lighting to suite the selected sky. You can also insert clouds, birds, moons, sun rays etc. Supposedly they will be coming out with an upgrade that will add reflections of the sky elements to water etc.
I processed this (before and after) by experimenting in about 20-30 minutes from first downloading the software with no previous Luminar experience.

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End of Summer
The yachts have sailed, the sun-worshipers have gone, the sun smiles weakly on the lone brave soul trying to eek out the last rays of Summer.

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UKBillyboy - You don't need to respond to every post to your question, but to not check back at all is pretty inconsiderate.

ETTR is basically about pushing the envelope to see how close you can get to the edge without falling over. I generally use ETTR, but I have to admit that has resulted in more ruined more shots with blown highlights than blocked shadows. My Sony A7Riii is quite capable of minimizing noise and giving me extractable details in the shadows. Noise is more of an issue with my A6000. However, in both cases, there isn't much that I can do about blown highlights.

Nikon will be the next 'divorce'.

Although I am a devout mirrorless devotee, I have to say your rationale for switching sounds like a thinly veiled bout of GAS. However, there is nothing wrong with that. Since you are thinking long term, Nikon is a poor bet. If you read Nikon's own business reports, you will find that their camera division has been skating on thin ice for some time. Nikon's turn-around business plan called for the camera division to contribute 20 billion Yen in profit for each of the last three years. So far, the division is heading for over 20 billon Yen LOSS in each of the three years.
The Nikon camera brand name has value, but it may well be sold off to some unknown manufacturer if it is to survive at all.

Sony is the way to go for mirrorless. They have a over five years head start on the other two and are the technology leaders. They are producing superb lenses at three different price points and are a world leader in sensor development and manufacturing. Sony is a strong company. The bulk of their profits come from entertainment and movies. They leverage the technology from their high end professional movie and broadcasting equipment down to their consumer level camera models. Nikon and Canon are leveraging their camera and lens technologies to diversify away from cameras.

Why would you want to do all of that in-camera when it is so much easier to do it in the comfort of your armchair in front of a large monitor instead of a 3" screen out in the wind, cold, dark, heat etc? What's the point of that? Just to be able to boast that it is SOOC? The fact is, I doubt if many ardent SOOC adherents go to all of that trouble in-camera anyway. The only advantage you suggest for using the manufacturers' software is to be able to replicate the settings you customized in-camera. If the manufacturers software was somehow better, easier or more intuitive than competitors your suggestion may have some value. Of course you find some justification in the fact that the manufacturer's software was probably free to you.

Any newer camera, even smartphones, will take excellent photos under reasonable or 'normal' conditions. If you have a newer smartphone you can download apps that will give you a lot of the manual control that you would get from a decent camera. If you want to get into something more demanding like wildlife, sports, low light photography or to make huge enlargements consider getting a 'entry level' interchangeable lens camera. Mirrorless is the way to go for a 'newby'. The Sony A6000 with the 18-105mm f/4 G OSS lens would be a great versatile choice. Add a longer zoom or a wide angle down the road when you know what your interests are.

I just downloaded Skylum Luminar AI last week. I am amazed at how quick and easy it is to enhance or even transform landscapes and portraits with it. It is not as powerful as PS but much easier to use. There was a lot of comments here about Support after the launch in mid December, but I think they are catching up with the backlog.

Well taken shots.

If Chg_Canon is correct, don't confuse watermark with copyright. You may own the copyright from the instance you take the photo, but your copyright protection it is unenforceable in Federal Courts unless the image has been registered with the Copyright Office. The watermark or signature in itself may increase the damages you can collect if you win a case, but it doesn't give you any protection without the registration.

In brief, your question is .... '(using the camera manufacturer processing software) you can apply any of the image processing options that were available in the camera ....Using this technique, you are doing essentially the same processing as in SOOC - .....I'm interested in learning what anyone thinks is a reasonable argument as to why you wouldn't want to do this'.
My answer - I never use those 'scene' modes except when I am using my pocketable compact that doesn't have manual controls and doesn't shoot RAW. Why would I want to go to the trouble of processing them with the manufacturers' software to make them look exactly the same as the canned scene modes?

Apparently Jonah survived the War and went on to have family. He was 57 when he died.

https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMDVZQ_Jonah_Frisbie_Yankeetown_IN

Thanks