Hi All;

This may seem like a bit of a basic question, so I appreciate your patience! Here goes...

Recently, in using footage shot with my GoPro (3+Black) in Protune mode, I have started using their free downloadable program which converts the camera output to Cineform; do initial cutting and color corrections; then save the output file for use in PD12. Though a few extra steps, it has greatly improved the finished quality of the work.

My understanding is that by converting from the cameras MP4 format to the Cineform format the footage "takes" editing better - the larger (or less compressed) file size seems "easier" for PD to mess with. The GoPro "editor" or DI can input MP4 (which the GoPro camera records in, but will not accept AVCHD)

The other cameras I shoot with (Canon HFG30) have the option of MP4 or AVCHD. I've used AVCHD since I have been told it is slightly better resolution than MP4. But now I am wondering if a digital intermediary of some type may be beneficial to run that footage through. In a web search, there seems to be a common consensus that AVCHD is "harder" to edit - though I am not exactly sure why or what that constitutes. PD12 SEEMS to have no problem with it, and I thought I read somewhere that PD12 supports AVCHD "natively."

So my question is; would there be any benefit to using a digital intermediary to first run my footage through before messing with it in PD12, or is PD12 created in such a way as to obviscate that need? Is there a good DI that can be recommended? Should I just use the Canon to shoot MP4 and convert everything to Ceneform via the existing program I have? Am I completely off base with all of this???