Before 35mm equivalence became the common shorthand, photographers generally did not compare formats the way people often do now. With no single dominant format, they usually discussed lenses in one of two ways:

• descriptively: "wide-angle," "normal," or "telephoto"
• technically: by the actual angle of view in degrees

Focal length was still stated in millimeters, but focal length alone was understood in the context of that camera’s format rather than as a universal field-of-view reference. Published angle-of-view figures were also used, and some older lenses even had the angle of view marked on them.

So a photographer might say an 80mm lens on a Rolleiflex gives about a 60° diagonal angle of view, rather than converting it to a 35mm equivalent.

Also, a "35mm lens" properly means a lens with a 35mm focal length. If someone means the same framing as a 35mm lens on full frame, the clearer wording is "35mm equivalent."