I think that, regardless of the aesthetics of the plane on the ground which is purely a matter of personal preference, I think that having a painted canopy or at least a darked transparent canopy, aids presentation in the air. With a completely clear canopy it tends to disappear when the plane is in profile. This is especially true as the fuselages get bigger, and hence the canopies get bigger.

Those carbon canopies for the Synergy are lovely! But I tend to prefer the painted on canopies as you end up with the same end result (ok in this case not carbon, but you know what I mean), without the extra weight of a canopy floor, extra filler etc etc.

James