Just a few questions to get some input.

I was discussing purchasing some top quality binoculars with a friend of mine and we we started talking about which manufacturer made the best quality binoculars, and who was second, third, etc.

I told him I thought the top three for binos (on the order of 8x32 size on up to 10x42 sizes or so) specifically for hunting purposes were Swarovski, Leica, and Zeiss, not in any particular order. Now I know quality is subjective, but if you put it in terms of overall optical quality (lens coatings, brightness, sharpness, edge clarity) and ergonomics (how they fit in your hands, how easy to focus, how well they stay focused), which of these three manufacturers do you personally consider the best, second best, and third best?

Then, suppose you can't afford to go with these top three, which manufacturers do you consider to build the next best binos? Is it Minox, Nikon, Leupold, Vortex, others?

Just to clarify, I'm no optics expert by any means and I don't want to debate with any of you. I'm just looking for your opinions to hopefully help me draw some of my own conclusions.

Thanks for your help.