Shan, Ian,
I always judge by performance first and some of my favourite lenses are some of the quirkiest (my Agfa Isolette, for example, is a real charmer.) I certainly have paid attention to the hype over lens coating, however, and my 'professional' gear is all slopped up with the stuff and I certainly can't complain about the results I receive...that being said I just like taking pictures no matter the lens involved

Thanks for all of the info and thanks to you spoolman for starting the thread!