Originally posted by pepperberry farm if we were talking about the 52B, it would be awesome...
Yes, at the time I had a 52A and a 52B, and the 52B was the "awesome" special lens. These days I still have that 52B and a 52BB, additionally I recently acquired an Adaptall 2x teleconverter and the Adaptall-matched extension tube (that was optional with the 52BB when it was released).
There's competition on my shelf now around the 100mm focal length - 52B, 52BB, Sigma EX DG macro 105mm, Pentax A-100mm/f2.8. All great lenses optically and ergonomically, only the Sigma is 1:1 macro and is autofocus.
I sold the 52A because it was too heavy for the ME Super, although well balanced on the LX. I bought a Tokina 80-200mm that was quite good, sold it later for a Tokina 35-200mm, but I never lost my desire for a M200mm - I bought one just last year.