I never camped those NMs because people would think I was gimp and lazy. In my XI experience I encountered very few people with that mentality, and I didn't associate with the ones I did. I camped those lower level NMs because I actually wanted the best gear to improve my party performance while I was leveling: something you rarely encounter in XIV. I'm not sure if our XI experiences differed greatly or what, but people I encountered were usually sympathetic and didn't make you feel bad about not having a particular piece. They knew they weren't easy to come by.
On top of that, I actually enjoyed camping those NMs, not only for the hunt, but because I knew my investment would be returned.