These cameras, before digital came around, were most commonly used by beginning photographers. Most point-and-shoot cameras automatically focus and change aperture and shutter speed without the you having any control over it. This makes your job much easier, you can quite literally point and shoot a picture quickly and easily.

However there are shortcomings to this sort of camera. Since you do not control the operations of the camera, there is no sense of accomplishment for a frame well taken. Also the mechanisms inside these cameras are not infallible and can not handle every type of situation, lighting and movement wise. For example: Single use cameras cannot take quality panoramic pictures or pictures in dim lighting. They are limited to well-lit stationary objects within six feet of the the camera, which certainly shortens the list of photographic possibilities.

Instant or Polaroid Cameras:

Polaroid cameras are an interesting type of camera. Instant camera film contains its own built-in developing chemicals. After the films is exposed to the light, chemicals are spread over the film from a little pouch at the bottom of the film. In a few minutes you have a fully developed picture, faster than any film camera could ever create.

However the film for these cameras is becoming more and more scarce and expensive as digital is slowly taking over. Also the final product is always grainy and is limited to a small size. To some people though, this is not a negative thing but rather an artistic outlet. There is even a gallery for the manipulation of this sort of film: Pola-art

Digital SLR and Automatic cameras:

Digital cameras are slowly but surely taking over the photography world. Thanks to digital photography film is going the way of vinyl records; loved by a niche audience and dismissed by the majority. Many digital cameras allow you to see a picture immediately after you take it. Not even Polaroid can compete with that brand of "instant." As SLR digital cameras get more and more advanced, they are able to compete with SLR film cameras for quality, however something is being lost in the change.

Since you can see a picture instantly on most digital cameras, you can delete if you don't like it and try again. This negates the necessity for much of the skill needed in film photography. If you make a mistake in changing shutter speed or aperture with film, you don't know about it until the film is developed. Using an entire roll of film with an incorrect setting quickly teaches a beginner photographer not to make the mistake a second time. Digital photographs can also be printed out from your computer with a simple click of the mouse. Lost are the days in which you stand for hours in a tiny darkroom working to get that perfect print. The manual aspect of photography is quickly being lost in favor of speed and convenience. The satisfaction of creating something hand-made is being replaced with thousands of "flawless" mass-produced images on Photoshop.