Edit software
 

So for Christmas I got a HD canon video camera. I haven't been using it a whole lot lately because I primarily got it for shooting wakeboarding. Anyways, I had an older camera that I always used Pinnacle Studio 12 to do all of my video editing. Now that I have this HD camera I need to either purchase a $49.99 add on for my Studio 12. So my question is what software do you recommend? I have not been real satisfied with Studio 12 so I don't think I will be purchasing the add on. I'm not looking to spend a whole to much (under $100). I will mainly be doing wakeboard editing. Also edit my sisters wedding video and vacation stuff. I am main concerned with getting the best HD quality.

I am running Windows 7 64-bit with 4 GB of RAM.

windows live movie maker has the ability to edit avchd, and it's free.

what's a good AVCHD editor and converter? Just got a camera and have the same question. I'm assuming you need to convert the MTS format to something more compressed for uploading on the web. any advice?? new to this

To the OP, I was in the same boat as you when it came to editing video, I was using Pinnacle studio. I got a HD Go Pro, and studio just wouldn't handle the HD video. I was about to upgrade my Pinnacle to newer HD friendly version, but after some research decided against it. I guess Pinnacle is a huge resource hog of your computer's system, making it run REALLY slow.
I had it narrowed down to Magix Movie Edit Pro and Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10. You are able to download a 30 Day free trial of the Vegas from their website. There aren't any restrictions that I am aware of with the trail program, and you don't need to convert the AVCHD video, add codecs or anything like that. The program is a little intimidating at first as it has more options and detail than Pinnacle. Takes a little getting used to. I had to watch a few youtube videos to figure out how to do certain edits. Once my trail runs out, I will more than likely purchase it for good. I think it retails for $99.95, so it would fit in your budget that you stated.

Hey Seth, thanks for this info man. I'm just getting into the video stuff and am trying to figure out what software to buy and came across your post. I'm downloading the free trial of vegas right now. Good luck!!

You bet! Best of luck with your editing!