zlacker

Wave height/sea state is notoriously difficult to present on video in a way that renders justice. I think it's due to lack of gimbal and probably focal length vs. field of view, and lack of depth perception.

>>AYBABT+(OP)
Lack of horizon, lack of depth, lack of sense of motion, and lack of anything to measure scale against, all make video incapable of conveying true scale.

Though when you can get those elements together, the result is gut-clenching. What does it for me is Big Wave surfing at Nazare. Camera's on land, horizon is fixed, motion is clear, and the ant on the face itself gives perspective. I almost have the opposite problem, the image registers as synthetic or manipulated, even when it isn't:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pZTx0XBx4hk

>>AYBABT+(OP)
Thats why there's always debate how big a surfers wave was, and then how do you measure from the front or the back?

>>AYBABT+(OP)
Stick a wave-height vertical ruler in front of the camera at a calibrated distance, and read them off ;)