There's a new Instax Mini camera in town – and it could promise a whole lot more than just diddy instant prints

The world of instant cameras has been growing significantly in recent years. Whether you opt for Fujifilm's Instax or the revived Polaroid system, there are a range of cameras and film formats to take your fancy.

In the last year or so, a new model from TTArtisan has grabbed a lot of attention online. That model – the TTArtisan 203T – is set to launch soon, and the brand has taken a notably strange approach to the unveiling.

That sees wannabe owners charged a staggering US$400 (approx. £300 / €345 / AU$575) to take part in the beta testing programme. For that price, you'll be shipped a random colour from the four – black, red, orange or blue – and you won't be able to return it unless it's broken. It's a tall ask.

Still, I'm excited to see how good the camera is. Designed to look, feel and operate much like the folding medium format film cameras of old, the design should feel instantly familiar to anyone who has used something like that.

While that format in an instant camera will be fun, I'm more excited for what the success of the project could yield further down the line. If the mechanics of the design work, there's no reason why the brand couldn't make a few tweaks to unveil a brand new, medium format film camera, too.

That would be quite a big deal. While we have seen a couple of modern film cameras – both the Pentax 17 and the Lomography MC-A come to mind – those are both 35mm cameras.

The popularity of medium format film cameras would make a modern equivalent quite an attractive prospect to the burgeoning community of film shooters out there. Of course, there's a long way to go before that's a prospect, but I – and I'm sure countless others – will be watching the reception to this camera very closely indeed.