Slow loading of thumbnails in import

When I use the import function, the previews load from oldest photos to newest.

Regardless of the date sort arrow, thumbnails for all photos need to be loaded to see the most recent photos, which can take several minutes each time. 

Is there a way to change the thumbnail loading to show the most recent photos first? Most times I just need to import photos taken recently and not older photos. If not, an option to disable thumbnails for faster loading?

Thanks, Brian