3H2F-D / GS6000

The Samoon 3H2F dashboard camera, also referred to as the GS6000 A7 is an Ambarella A7 dash cam introduced in fall 2013.

Many of the previous popular dashboard cameras such as the GS1000, F500LHD, F900LHD and the Mini-0801 have used the Ambarella A2 chipset.  While the A2 has proven to be a great processor, it was released in 2007 and low light performance is limited.

Hence the excitement of Ambarella A7 processor based cameras finally coming to market. The camera records at 2304 x 1296p 30fps which is a unique resolution (it is not 4K resolution).  It also records at the more traditional 1920 x 1080p 30fps.

Initial videos from this camera have been impressive in the day and average at night.  Some of the night videos appear quite dark which is disappointing.  Bitrate is a very high 18Mbps as well.  The camera comes with GPS (built into the mount) and G-sensor.

The 3H2F-D has a 2.7″ LCD screen and while not the smallest camera at 112 x 45 x 25.5mm it can be hidden behind a rear view mirror. We have not been able to confirm the processor or CMOS sensor, but initial reports are that the 3H2F-D is using the Ambarella A7LA50D chipset and the Aptina 0330 CMOS sensor.

This camera is becoming very popular in Russia given the high specs and reasonable price.

Other Models

This camera is most typically called the Samoon 3H2F-D, 3H2F or GS6000 Ambarella A7.  Also note that Samoon has released 2 other Ambarella A7 models at the same time which appear to be nearly identical with the exception of the external casing / form factor.

The Samoon A88F is a diamond shaped model which sells in Russia as the Texet DVR-670. And the Samoon A95A (note this is listed as a dual 1080p camera, we have not seen it for sale yet) which sells in Russia as the Тест StreetStorm CVR-A7510 (single cam not dual). Some people have flashed the 3H2F-D with the Streetstorm CVR-A7510 firmware.

Known problems

Since this is a relatively new camera, there have not been many reliability problems noted yet.

Stops Recording

One Russian owner has indicated that the camera arbitrarily stops recording (every 1-2 hours).  This is possibly due to the slow class 4 card they were using.

Disassembling the dash cam

From e-prance:

Sample Videos

Day

Night

Here is a raw video at night with this camera.  Unfortunately the quality is average at best.

Should I Purchase?

This camera is the first popular Ambarella A7L dashboard camera.  Price is reasonable and video quality during the day is good.  The deal breaker is the disappointing night video, which could be due to rushing this camera out.  Reliability is unknown but initial owners are quite pleased.

If you are looking for a “tried and true” camera, hold off on buying this.  Perhaps future firmware upgrades will improve night performance but until then, this is a risky purchase.

Firmware

Current firmware being sold is SM3H2FDGC.130828.V1 (firmware file provided by Foxoffer). Note that some Russians have tried using the Streetstorm SSA7510.131001.V5 firmware on this camera which partially bricked the camera.

User Manual

The Russian GS6000 user manual can be downloaded here.

Specifications

Published: November 13, 2013

Updated: November 19, 2013

3H2F-D / GS6000

The Samoon 3H2F-D is one of the first Ambarella A7 cameras. Night video is biggest drawback.

Product SKU: 3H2F-D / GS6000

Product Brand: Samoon

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 150

Price Valid Until: 2023-01-01

Product In-Stock: SoldOut

Editor's Rating:
5