[Scalestein]

True but hardware makes it obvious why the image looks the way it does and is consistent. Photographers can even tell what lenses were used for a photo by looking at it.

Software makes it more of a black box. The same picture taken days apart could look different due to a software update you weren't even aware of. Hardware is also a forced choice so is more deliberate which again is the opposite of the software situation of changing algos and processing.