Let s not talk about premium, and it will be good. VideoReader Drive Goclever Drive DVR Fastgo Full HD Premium

Let's first determine one thing - this camera has nothing to do with the premium of its name. And since we already know this, we can go to the right review.

Goclever Drive DVR Fastgo Full HD Premium - this is the full name of the inexpensive driving recorder that hit my car a few weeks ago. To simplify and limit the number of characters in this text, I will simply call it Fastgo Full HD Premium.

Inexpensive, or how much you have to pay for Goclever Drive DVR Fastgo Full HD Premium?

PLN 199 - we can see such a price in the official shop of this producer, although on the internet you can find offers both 10-20 PLN higher, as well as lower. There is also a more extensive version, described as 2 cameras front back , which speaks for itself.

Yes, you can connect a reversing camera (or rather just a rear camera) to this inexpensive recorder, which will allow us to record the image behind the car. And taking into account the fact that the price difference is only PLN 30 (as part of the promotion), such a double package seems to be much more attractive in terms of price.

Goclever's offer also includes a third camera - also Fastgo (although saved as Fast Go), also Full HD, but without premium . What is the difference between? It lacks some bonus additions (about which in a moment), is clearly smaller, has a smaller screen, narrower viewing angle and is ... half cheaper. We can buy it for PLN 99, but note - it's a promotional price. Theoretically, it costs almost exactly the same as the tested camera, or PLN 189.

Will I find a bit of premium here?

Neither gram. My Porsche model, which mirrors side by side, is more premium (although the truth is that it is also more expensive than this recorder). In the construction of the external Fastgo Full HD everything is simply, without any doubt, cheap.

Housing? Several types of crackling plastics. Buttons? Hard plastic and typical cheap clicks, although you have to admit that you can not have doubts whether we actually managed to push the button.

Mounting bracket? On the one hand, robust and in all aspects effective, and with the possibility of wide adjustment. On the other hand, the hook on the camera in my copy was probably not exactly precisely cut out and I had the impression that before I connect the camera with the handle, I will be able to break or push the windshield.

In addition, the biggest drawback of this camera is probably the attempt to make it visually premium, by enclosing the lens with a plastic chrome. It not only looks cheap, but also makes the camera attached under the window visible from a distance. It's a pity, because not everybody wants to take off the camera every time when he stops, for example, to jump for quick shopping.

Interestingly, from what I see on the producer's website, the pretend chromium was quickly withdrawn and now the camera is sold in a version with a black lens housing. Bravo. Just be careful not to take the version with the chrome package, because such are also present in the sale.

In installation matters, minus is also entitled to the location of the power outlet. I am still able to experience the fact that in 2019 (ok, the camera is from 2018) for charging a miniUSB cable is used, but it was placed in such a way that it can not be properly connected when the camera is mounted in position I've chosen her. You have to turn it slightly or tilt it, and only then you can insert the cable. Then, of course, set the camera in the right position.

The unfortunate location of the charging socket generates yet another problem. Yes, the recorder can be powered from power banks (which is useful in parking mode), but there is no chance of connecting a simple cable to it. It is necessary to buy one with a bent tip, which is included in the set. Unfortunately, the one we receive is integrated with the charger.

Fortunately, it is really long, so we should not have any problems with the basic power supply of the recorder.

You complained, you complained - nothing difficult with cheap equipment. Write something good now.

Complaints about the quality of cheap cameras are easy. But it's just as easy to find a reason to praise her.

First of all, at the back of the camera we find a fairly large, readable screen with a good resolution and quality, which allows free viewing of all registered materials (you can turn it off while driving). Its presence does not cause that the camera is the size of a rear view mirror - if we buy a version with a black lens and we'll come together for a while, we will probably hide it under the window without any major problems.

A small note - when the screen with the status of the camera is turned off (and eventual recording) the small blue LED informs us. Unfortunately, it is so small, so weak and so deeply embedded, that even at night it is difficult to clearly determine on its basis during the drive, whether the recording continues or has been interrupted.

It is also surprisingly convenient to navigate through a simple, no-one million subgroup of menus. The more so because there are up to 7 dedicated buttons on the housing, which you must learn first , but when we do, we will not be thinking about changing the given option for hours.

The appearance of the recorder and its quality of performance will no longer be taken care of by the samum. The key is how the image is recorded.

How does it record?

There are several resolutions to choose from, but probably everyone will use the highest, that is 2304 x 1296 pixels (viewing angle - 170 degrees), at 30 frames per second, with additional, optional sound recording. Of course, we can also choose the time of video recording after the ride, as well as the length of individual video recordings - you can choose between 1, 3 or 5 minutes.

Normally for video recorders, video content is recorded in a loop, i.e. if the space on the microSD card (up to 128 GB according to the instructions) is over, the oldest recordings will be replaced with newer ones and over and over again. This can be prevented in two ways - either by manually blocking the material or by relying on the built-in sensor. For unknown reasons, the default option to automatically block video recordings is disabled - you must enable it in the options.

I would also suggest buying the largest possible memory card. A single 5-minute sound-free recording takes almost equally 600 MB. It is easy to count on the fact that in the 8-gigabyte card I used, there is barely an hour of material - and that's how many people get to work. One way.

Movies can be viewed in three ways.

The first one is playing materials directly on the camera, which is amazingly helped by a 3-inch display. The preview application is very simple, but it has two useful solutions. First of all, it divides the video into those recorded with the front and rear cameras, on those locked , on those made in parking mode, and separately gives access to photos.

They watch movies, we can also accelerate them, so that we do not wait unnecessarily for the right action, for example if we set a 5-minute recording length.

The second option is to display the material on the TV using an HDMI cable (not included). The third, most obvious, is simply removing the memory card, inserting it into the adapter and connecting it to the reader on the computer. Possibly connecting to the computer with a miniUSB cable (also missing in the set).

And how does the video look like then?

Note: The illustration graphics are video screenshots, reduced to 1500 pixels on the long side.

If someone expects cinematic quality, then of course he will be disappointed. But that's not what it's all about in the car's recorder for PLN 200 to compete with the sharpness of the image and the color reproduction from GoPro.

First of all - Fastgo Full HD Premium has a really big area in front of the car. Well set 170 degrees allows you to monitor successfully 2-3 lanes of the road and a huge piece of roadside. Even when standing at traffic lights just behind other cars, the camera saves what is happening in the neighboring lanes:

Secondly - what is the most important, i.e. identification of other cars, is the most possible on the basis of data from the tested recorder. It will be easy to identify the brand, model and license plates. Of course, the last one has to put a few significant stars.

First of all, the camera can get lost when it comes to really strong sunlight, falling straight on the board. This can be seen perfectly in the screenshot above - the registration number can be read from the reflection on the hood of my car, but from the actual plate no longer.

Similarly, when driving under the sun, the picture can be scattered in some places . This does not have a major impact on key information on the recordings, but it does not look beautiful.

The distance from which the registrations are legible and visible is also limited. A few or a dozen meters is no problem. The car passing by us quickly - also without difficulty. But above this distance the license plates begin to merge into white and gray spots and there is no chance to read them.

https://youtu.be/BI2Hb_1oukw

However, taking into account the fact that we will mainly want to register someone who is in close proximity to our car with such a camera, this quality should be enough.

https://youtu.be/HUm5z9xxma8

When it comes to changing the recording parameters, apart from the length and resolution, we can also control the exposure, which may slightly improve the readability of recordings in specific situations.

And what does the video look like at night and parking mode?

When it comes to the general visual experience of watching night movies - it's so bad. However, the registration value is acceptable.

There is nothing to discuss with this first. The image recorded at night is of low quality, full of noise and in grains so large that sometimes the eyes hurt. This, however, is only part of the truth.

https://youtu.be/3qAYd5C_72g

On the other hand, as a driving record , these films can be quite enough. License plates are still legible with similar claims, as during daytime driving. We can easily recognize the car's make and model based on the recordings. Horizontal and vertical markings, as well as all sorts of information boards or signposts, are also legible, except perhaps for smaller plates, e.g. some with street names or stops.

I would definitely not like to see these materials for pleasure. But as documentation - they can be.

Parking mode, however, works fine, but you have to remember that the camera has no supernatural powers and does not see in complete darkness, and hence - can not capture the movement in it. All it takes is a bit of light to react and record the recording.

And that's all?

No, of course not. The camera is equipped with two security systems - LDWS and FCWS. The first one informs about an unplanned exit from the lane, while the latter - about too close approach to the previous vehicle.

And so - both of these systems, after proper configuration, actually give us a substitute of what we can find in newer cars. Maybe even someone will be able to save from the cullet. But their performance, well, is not at the highest level.

LDWS is primarily - and even the manual mentions - a solution for highways or highways, where the belts are clearly marked and the roads are long and straight . In the city you can get crazy with constantly repeating messages about crossing the lines, which sometimes appear even when ... we stand at traffic lights.

Not only that - the messages reach us not in the form of warning messages from the built-in speakers - they are spoken (and additionally signaled by the icon on the screen). Seriously. Sometimes and 5 times in a row, when we changed the belt a long time ago. In the city, it's better to turn them off completely. On the road, they perform decently, and the lines drawn on the screen usually coincide with those on the road (you can see in the picture above).

For me, FCWS is a system that is completely incomprehensible. Glancing at the screen I see clearly that it means cars well and decides the distance from them (shown in the picture above). For nothing, however, such an insight, when suddenly I receive information that I am too close to the car, which is 15 m ahead of me. Either 17 m. Or I receive this information standing (equal to 0 km / h) in a traffic jam.

It is possible that this is a problem with the fact that the warnings are not squeaking and spoken. Before the reader reads 5 messages, the situation on the road is already changing, and I still hear that I am too close to the car in front of me.

Again - on the highway this system works much better, but if I had to decide, I would probably just turn it off. And the second one too. Why? Because the messages are spoken by very quiet and poor quality speakers - they sound more like some radio transmissions. Not to mention the fact that to hear or understand them is a lot of art.

Worth it or not?

This question may be asked a little differently: would I depend on the moment of cullet or other dangerous situation on the material recorded by this camera? The answer to this question is simple: the most. It would not be a material that would qualitatively allow its publication in Spider's Web TV, but as an event document - it is enough. Maybe it gets worse at night, but I did not expect it to be any different.

In addition, the video recorder does what it should, as it should. It starts quickly, runs smoothly, has the right number of physical buttons, a large, readable screen, reliably sits under the glass, records really wide and has functions that you can expect from it.

However, if someone asked me how to improve it, then - apart from the chromed lens, which has already been corrected - I would suggest ... removing additional security assistants and lowering the prices for even a dozen or so zlotys. LDWS and FCWS are not completely wrong, but their implementation from the notification page is rather annoying than helpful.

But even with them, if you manage to hit a promotion below the suggested price - this video recorder may be a sensible choice.

Let's not talk about premium, and it will be good. VideoReader Drive Goclever Drive DVR Fastgo Full HD Premium