fcp7 setting up and ingesting avchd

Hello, firstly apologies for my questions that will seem to have come from another age!
I'm only just getting started with final cut pro 7, our cameras are old. also using a late but healthy 2011 macbook pro with 10.8.6 16GB ram and an SSD
We do music workshops in schools (well we did for 26 years!) and COVID has stripped us of all income so we're trying to make some movies we can send into schools - but we can't really afford any new kit!
so although i have a bag of questions i'll try to keep simple and start at the beginning.

we have two cameras taking HD footage creating AVCHD
a panasonic Lumix G3 taking HD 1920 x 1080 60i (no p available)
a panasonic Lumix G6 taking HD 1920 x 1080 50p (25 available)

i've read up about AVCHD folders, MTS files and ingesting them with FCP7 using log and transfer
I've copied all the SD card contents (i.e. all folders so all library data intact) to a hard drive - for speed of use and backup

ingesting - so my first problem is when using log and transfer is that the 'PRIVATE' folder containing AVCHD folder and others is greyed out.
I'm aware in mac finder you select 'show package contents' to get to these folders/files but of course you can't do that when opening from an application.

(i discovered whilst dabbling that bros MTS converter also found a greyed 'PRIVATE' folder but iSkysoft video converter COULD get to the files - strange)

as a newbie I'm also confused as some say to use FCP7 log and transfer is the correct way to get the files - and you must not separate the MTS files from the other folders on the camera's SD card
and then some say the individual MTS files have to be converted anyway - which surely means separating the MTS files and making the other folder's library info irrelevant. thats confusing to me!

and MTS files to be converted twice? to pro res 422 better for editing?

my plan is to use the footage from the two cameras for multicam. is that an issue as they are 50p and 60i? or is that not an issue once converted? or logged and transferred? and then I'll be asking about syncing them before creating a multicam clip.


I'll hold with the questions for now - best I listen more than babble as im a newbie!


really do appreciate any help. and how dull it may be to be dealing with questions relevant a decade or more ago!
Storme

PS if you think i should give up FCP7 if its just too old now, I could get 10.13 running on this machine, we could beg for the money to get FCPX. I'm hoping we can use what we have.

www.earthsong.co.uk
facebook - 'Earthsong Music'

Those cameras are far too new for Final Cut Pro 7. You have to convert the footage to ProRes 422 before importing them. Final Cut Pro X is only $300 and worth it. If you are just starting with FCP7 there isn't much to unlearn when you move over to X. If you were totally used to FCP7 or Premiere it makes moving to X very difficult as it's totally different. FCPX can deal with your footage easily. I dunno about the MTS files but most stuff is as easy as drag and drop.

Thank you Joe, I've been using Editready to convert the MTS files to ProRes 422 then importing to FCP7. it seems to be working.
I was wary as I'd read that the many folders above the MTS files had to be untouched and were needed as library information. my concern being that if I convert the MTS files directly I'll end up in a mess further down the line! maybe thats just for log and transfer.

also wanted to know if there would be an issue as the two cameras were giving me two different fps and one interlaced, one progressive.
I can't afford FCPX yet. COVID19 has wiped out all of our lovely musical school work so far - no income!
it's budget only all the way for now!

thank you again for your reply.
Storme