Ride A Bike & thecar- that Leica is the same exact lens, processor & internals at Panasonic's LX2. They're badged differnetly- Leicas look better- but are otherwise identical. I have a Panasonic LX1 and it's really nice. Full manual controls, inculding focus, that aren't menu driven. Takes kinda crappy pictures in low light, however.
$430 for the Panasoic vs $599 for the leica...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8612&A=details&Q=&sku=447387&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation