If one is interested a good site to peruse on bino comps and discussions is birdforum.com. Just about all the advances and improvements done by the alpha bino companies over the years was done to please this crowd first as they are the ones who buy most at the top price level and not us. The bird nerds demand true to life colors and also the flattest fields all the way to the edges. They only have one expensive piece of gear to buy so they tend to go for 'the best'. They prefer 8x as they hand hold longer but the same glass is in the 10x versions of each model that offers the choice.
I think Swaro is the only alpha brand that actually makes a bino specifically for the hunter market = SLC. As mentioned it has a tint that brings out more contrast to help pick out critters that are hiding in their settings. It also lets in a tad bit more light because it dosnet have the field flattening lens. Personally I prefer the El with the flattening lens and 20mm exit pupil. I wear my shades alot of the time while glassing in bright daylight. My shades are glass and have a tint that to me enhances contrast way more than the coating on the slc. Best of both worlds I guess. I use my El for everything not just hunting so thats why I went the EL way. You will find that pretty much every bino that is rated is typically compared to the optical performance of the EL swarovsion as it really does define the best man can make today. But can my eyes or your eyes notice the diff in !% light transmission? doubtful but there more to it than that when looking though the great glass versus the good glass.
The other factors of rating 'the best' are build quality, ergonomics, focus wheel performance, eye cup design, exit pupil and balance. Some of this is more personal than technical.
There are some new comers to the alpa pack that are contenders. Nikon has one as does the new era Zeiss Victory SF. They are also priced in the same outrageous category. Why because thats where swaro is! If they priced for less I honestly believe that the consumer would think they arent as good as the top dog! The Zeiss SF is also considered to be a top contender because it has better balance for long hand hold glassing, a more ergonomic focus wheel( than the swaro/leica) and 15% more fov than those two also.
Also if one dosent know...most of the alpha binos are again made for the bird nerds so they have more turns to focus so as to be more precise to pick out small detail. The only one I know of that has a much quicker less sensitive focus is the slc for obvious reasons.
My rating for 'the best' in top $ category is :
1-Swaro 8x 10x 12x15x
2-Leica 10x and pocket compacts
3-Zeiss (only the new Sf 10x)
And in the same order for resale demand with least depreciation.
If you ever want to buy one of the 3 above never buy one nib. Get an open box demo from a dealer after a show and save 7-800 bucks.
Boy that was a mouthful..sorry!