Generally, no—older cameras and lenses were not usually designed specifically for consumer self-repair. They were often easier to service mainly because they were mechanically simpler, less compact, and had far fewer electronic parts.

In the film era, repair was commonly handled by independent camera repair shops rather than by users or sometimes even the manufacturer. Skilled technicians could fabricate parts, adjust mechanisms, and keep equipment going for many years. That made older gear seem more repairable, but it doesn’t mean user repair was a design priority.

As with modern gear, manufacturers have typically prioritized performance, size, weight, cost, and reliability over ease of repair. Today’s autofocus systems, stabilization, miniaturization, and dense electronics make cameras and lenses much harder to disassemble and repair, especially outside authorized service.

So the main difference is not that old gear was intentionally user-serviceable, but that simpler construction made repair by knowledgeable people much more feasible.