Something totally odd: I saw this lens on eBay and was immediately puzzled, since I knew of no Wollensak 35mm f2.3 lens. The only 35mm lens of this aperture (0ther than the Auto Takumar) with which I was familiar was the B&L Baltar, and there is a 35mm Wollensak Series V lens, but it is f3.5 and designed for military use (on strike cameras).
In fact, seeing the picture of this tiny lens, it became clear that this was indeed a Baltar: the lens housing is identical to that of the Baltar, all the markings are the same (except the name), and it even has the famous yellow and purple dots often found on Baltars (and other lenses such as the Aero Ektar, reportedly to mark lenses with certain coatings optimized for day and/or night use). I have no idea why a Baltar would be rebranded as a Wollensak, though this might have been something to do with military use or procurement. In fact, in my research I ran across another such Baltar, this one labeled “Bell & Howell.” So I suppose this will remain a mystery.
I ended up getting it for $42, which is about a tenth or less than it would have cost had it been labeled “Baltar”. It is in absolutely mint condition. The lens itself is tiny, about the size of the end of my thumb, with a very short flange distance of about 25mm. I did manage to cobble a focusing adapter together for it, and amazingly considering its size, it manages to cover full frame completely at close distances, with minimal cutoff at infinity. It does vignette pretty severely in terms of light falloff at the edges, but is usable, and works very well on crop sensor. It is not one of my favorite 35mm lenses, but it is interesting and sometimes quite lovely in rendering.
