Noticed the same (# 2.). Asked myself if this is a bug or a feature. A little tint in the glass is fine, so there's a difference between canopy closed and open. But poor pilots if the glass was also blurry. Another reason why it must be a bug: it's only the canopy glass that's blurry, not the side glasses upfront.
EDIT: And yes, sooo glad the heat blur FX is reduced and improved!