Import Movies into iMovie 11 from Sony HDR SR-5

I am trying to import movies from a SONY HDR SR-5 camera. However, only a few of the movies on the camera appear in the import window. I see the movies on the camera when I view them directly on the camera, so I know that they are there. I am actually wanting to import into Final Cut Express 4. The movies are recorded in SD (HQ). It looks like I may have to pay $30 for a mts video converter, but I thought Apple was better than that. Any ideas?