Trouble understanding and converting .avi files in Final Cut Express

I recently just purchased my first Mac with Final Cut Express and am very excited to start editing again, both photos and video. The camera I use (Nikon D90) saves the video format as .avi But Final Cut Express can't read .avi clips when they get transferred. Now i know there are programs out there that fix this situation (I just downloaded the trial for VoltaicHD, its very easy to use and gets the job done) but its a limited download and will expire soon. Before I spend $, is there a free way of doing this (i.e. a free download) or is this something you normally need to purchase when coming across this situation? and Is Apples $30 dollar converter download any different from VoltaicHD's $30 dollar converter download. Thank you anyone who reads this and helps me out.

Hi there, and welcome to the Mac, and the Apple Discussion Forums.
I'd recommend you have a read through previous posts about AVI's - there's one not too far back, and others I'm sure.
I also don't think I'd be alone in recommending MPEG Streamclip as your converter:
http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html
Regards,

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