diff --git a/aws/data_source_aws_s3_bucket_objects.go b/aws/data_source_aws_s3_bucket_objects.go
index 351b7f5a37b..a3ef69ff050 100644
--- a/aws/data_source_aws_s3_bucket_objects.go
+++ b/aws/data_source_aws_s3_bucket_objects.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/helper/schema"
 )
 
-const maxS3ObjectListReqSize = 1000
+const keyRequestPageSize = 1000
 
 func dataSourceAwsS3BucketObjects() *schema.Resource {
 	return &schema.Resource{
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ func dataSourceAwsS3BucketObjects() *schema.Resource {
 			"max_keys": {
 				Type:     schema.TypeInt,
 				Optional: true,
+				Default:  1000,
 			},
 			"start_after": {
 				Type:     schema.TypeString,
@@ -110,14 +111,14 @@ func dataSourceAwsS3BucketObjectsRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{})
 		listInput.EncodingType = aws.String(s.(string))
 	}
 
-	// MaxKeys attribute refers to max keys returned in a single request
+	// "listInput.MaxKeys" refers to max keys returned in a single request
 	// (i.e., page size), not the total number of keys returned if you page
-	// through the results. This reduces # requests to fewest possible.
+	// through the results. "maxKeys" does refer to total keys returned.
 	maxKeys := -1
 	if max, ok := d.GetOk("max_keys"); ok {
 		maxKeys = max.(int)
-		if maxKeys > maxS3ObjectListReqSize {
-			listInput.MaxKeys = aws.Int64(int64(maxS3ObjectListReqSize))
+		if maxKeys > keyRequestPageSize {
+			listInput.MaxKeys = aws.Int64(int64(keyRequestPageSize))
 		} else {
 			listInput.MaxKeys = aws.Int64(int64(maxKeys))
 		}
diff --git a/website/docs/d/s3_bucket_objects.html.markdown b/website/docs/d/s3_bucket_objects.html.markdown
index fa031e1c005..5699e876733 100644
--- a/website/docs/d/s3_bucket_objects.html.markdown
+++ b/website/docs/d/s3_bucket_objects.html.markdown
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ description: |-
 
 # Data Source: aws_s3_bucket_objects
 
-The bucket-objects data source returns keys and other metadata about objects in an S3 bucket.
+The bucket-objects data source returns keys (i.e., file names) and other metadata about objects in an S3 bucket.
 
 ## Example Usage
 
@@ -34,7 +34,10 @@ The following arguments are supported:
 * `prefix` - (Optional) Limits results to object keys with this prefix (Default: none)
 * `delimiter` - (Optional) A character used to group keys (Default: none)
 * `encoding_type` - (Optional) Encodes keys using this method (Default: none; besides none, only "url" can be used)
-* `max_objects` - (Optional) Maximum object keys to list (Default: all keys in the bucket)
+* `max_keys` - (Optional) Maximum object keys to return or `-1` to retrieve all keys (Default: 1000)
+
+~> **NOTE on `max_keys`:** Retrieving very large numbers of keys can adversely affect Terraform's performance.
+
 * `start_after` - (Optional) Returns key names lexicographically after a specific object key in your bucket (Default: none; S3 lists object keys in UTF-8 character encoding in lexicographical order)
 * `fetch_owner` - (Optional) Boolean specifying whether to populate the owner list (Default: false)