NEC announced today the development of technologies for digital cameras in movie mode that suppress the noise produced by motors and other mechanisms used for optical zooming.

Apparently already available on Casio’s latest EXILIM EX-ZR10, this set of technologies will soon be available on other cameras as well. These new technologies suppress noise through a method that records and saves the core characteristics of sounds created by a camera lens’ driving mechanisms, then subtracts this information from signals that are recorded by microphones, a bit like what you can find on Noise Canceling earphones for example.

Furthermore, these technologies automatically adapt to lens and microphone characteristics among different products, which eliminates the need for customized product adjustment. Moreover, real-time processing is achieved while recording movies as a result of optimizing the number of calculations for noise suppression.

Use of these technologies also makes it possible to preserve ambient environmental sound, while only suppressing the noise generated by a camera’s motor. Digital cameras equipped with these technologies can operate motors at a high speed, which achieves smoother zoom operation and creates a user-friendly filming experience similar to the use of a dedicated video camera.